A Hylian in Symphonia
by Xanthians75th
Summary: To escape imprisonment Ganondorf flees to Symphonia, accidentally bringing Link along with him. The fate of the chosen may be more important then anyone could have guessed.
1. Chapter 1

"Link!" He turned briefly to see Zelda, a beam of light shot forth from her outstretched arms, pinning Ganon to the floor of the ruined tower. "I'll hold him with my power. Hurry and deliver the final blow!" He could see her back arch against the strain of the magic, the effort of maintaining a spell that was too far beyond her power. The light vanished and Zelda dropped to her knees, unable to hold on any longer.

Link turned back to his opponent as Ganon struggled to get up, refusing to give in. In his hand Link could feel the power of the Master Sword, the power of evil's bane as the blade shone with a haunting blue light from within. Without wasting another second, he attacked, slashing Ganon across the face with two hard blows before driving the blade through his skull right up to the cross guard.

Ganon threw his head in the air with a fierce roar clutching at the should-be fatal wound. Link braced himself, unsure if the fight was truly over or if Ganondorf had anymore tricks up his sleeve.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Zelda stagger to her feet. He watched her lips move but could not hear the words over Ganon's roars of pain and rage. Her arms stretched up as an orb of light ignited between her hands. In his mind he could see the 6 sages, each one performing the same spell and releasing them together in a flood of white light. A massive portal opened beneath Ganon drawing him down to his prison between realms as he changed back to his human form.

Then something went wrong.

Ganondorf made one last desperate attempt to escape. He threw his arms out to either side as purple energy snaked up his arms and collected in his fists. With a cry of rage he slammed his fists together in front of him, the impact of magic nearly knocking Link from his feet. A black portal, like the one Phantom Ganon had uses to leap between pictures, opened behind Ganondorf, drawing him in. Running as fast as he could, Link dove for the portal but to no avail as the gaping black maw, along with the King of Evil, winked from existence.

He stood there for a moment staring at where the portal had been. The sound of voices caught his attention as he turned to see the sages standing around Zelda all talking at once.

"Can anyone explain to me what just happened?" Link asked as he approached, sliding the Master Sword into its sheath.

"Ganon has somehow opened a gateway between worlds," Rauru said. "I have heard of it being done, but never thought him capable of such a thing. All we know for sure is that Ganondorf is no longer in Hyrule."

"Let me get this straight!" Navi chimed. "After all that, all of the dungeon crawling, all the sage rescuing, all the monster fighting, he ESCAPES?"

"Yeah. You could say that." Raru replied with a nod.

"THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF GOING THROUGH ALL THOSE TRAP-RIDDLED, MONSTER-INFESTED, ZOMBIE-FILLED, FOUL-SMELLING TEMPLES?"

"Mine didn't have zombies." "Mine didn't smell that bad." "I wasn't even in a temple."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Link watched as Navi, now beet red, tore around in a temper screaming curses and bashing herself against broken pieces of tower. It was rather entertaining.

"Is there anything I can do?" Link asked.

Raru stood in silent though for a moment. "No. For now it would be best if you returned to your own time. It could be years before Ganondorf returns, if he returns at all. Should this happen, we will send a message across time for your aid."

"But…"

"There's nothing you can do. Even if we found a way to open a gateway, what then? I have no idea how many different worlds could exist beyond Hyrule. Unless Ganondorf returns we can nothing."

Zelda stepped forward and extended her hand. "Give me the ocarina and I will send you back. You should have a childhood."

The slow melody of the Song of Time filled the air as the portal opened beneath him. As he had done so often before he feel the flow of time rush past him, felt himself growing younger. The music had stopped and was replaced by the sound of distant voices, frantic voices. That was different. He felt himself become sleepy; he always fell asleep when he traveled. Just as his eyes were about to drift shut he thought he saw a hole, a small black hole in the torrent of light around him. That was different…

* * *

"Kratos look!" He turned to look where Colette pointed. She was pointing towards the Tower of Salvation, which had just come into Sylvarant. Perhaps Colette was just excited, having just been officially named Chosen and meeting her "father." Then he saw it, a small streak of light moving across the sky.

"Maybe it's a shooting star," she offered, her hands shielding the sun from her eyes as she watched the horizon.

"…"

"Or a bird."

"…" Kratos turned to look at Colette, wondering if she had hit her head one too many times. He looked back at the sky, and the streak turned into flame as it plummeted to the earth and slammed into the ground not far from the Tower.

He shook his head; there were more important things to worry about now, and he had a job to do. From within the temple he could hear Lloyd and Genis talking to someone, probably the woman who had been studying the floor as they were leaving. Colette had called her professor something-or-other.

"Come, Chosen. We should be getting back. There are preparations to be made for the journey."

As Collette started down the path away from the temple, he stole one last look towards the Tower before following her back to Iselia.

* * *

Ganondorf grunted as he stepped out of the small crater. "Not the most glorious of entries," he thought as he cracked his neck to one side, "but effective nonetheless." He was amazed that the spell had actually worked, that he was actually able to jump to another world.

He stretched his arms over his head as he took in the surroundings. It was mostly open with a few trees and mountains rising in the distance. As he turned his gaze fell upon something of interest; a lone structure, a large tower rising up out of a hole in the ground. His gaze slowly rose up the side, his grin growing with the tower's height as it stretched endlessly into the sky.

"A place truly worthy of the King of Evil," he laughed as he dropped his gaze back to the entrance. There were no guards, no patrols, and no visible defenses at all. He knew it wasn't that easy. It was never that easy.

When he got closer to the tower he felt it, an invisible barrier that surrounded the tower. When he placed his hand against it, small ripples of color spread outward along the surface like ripples in a pond. It was solid and reminded him of the one he had erected within his own tower back in Hyrule. The only difference was his caused excruciating pain if touched—this did nothing.

He turned, taking a few steps back from the barrier. He stretched his arm into the air and called his magic. An orb of purple lightning appeared in his fist as he spun and hurled it towards the tower. The impact against the barrier was like a peal of thunder, waves of color raced away from the impact but the barrier stood firm. He raised his arm again, drawing twice the energy as before. But the impact had no more effect then the first.

With a small grunt of annoyance Ganondorf lifted himself into the air, floating a few feet above the ground. Both hands raised in the air as a black orb formed between them, growing to about the size of his chest. As he threw the orb it broke apart into several smaller ones that snaked forward and collided at a single point of impact. He threw back his head and laughed as the smoke cleared to reveal a two foot hole in the barrier that slowly grew back and closed itself.

"It will take more than that," he laughed, raising an orb nearly twice the size of himself over his head, "to stop ME!" The explosion shook the ground and toppled nearby trees. Smoke billowed from the hole as he walked through, the barrier slowly closing behind him.

Dark energy coiled itself around his fist as he approached the entrance. He roared as his punch landed squarely in the center of the door, blasting it inward into hundreds of pieces. "And now to find the owner."

* * *

"We're leaving tomorrow at noon. So would you come to the village around then?"

"Okay! You got it. Now I'll be able to see you become an angel with my own eyes."

"Hehe… Yeah."

Kratos stood mute as he watched Lloyd and Colette up on the terrace. He was slightly surprised that Colette would give Lloyd the wrong time; they were clearly fond of each other. "At least it'll save having to argue with him in the morning. "Stubborn kid," he muttered to himself.

"You say something?" Kratos turned to see Raine and Genis approaching. He stood leaning against a tree not far from the gravestone. He liked Raine. She was smart, authoritative, and had even offered to do most of the cooking on the journey. One less thing for him to worry about.

"I was thinking we should go soon. It's getting late and we have a long journey ahead of us."

Raine glanced up at the balcony for a minute before answering. "I agree. We'll go get her now." As the two of them went into the house he glanced back at the grave; Anna's grave. But that meant Lloyd was his…

"Kratos look! There's another one! It's just like the one we saw earlier! Kratos look, it's right up there!" Colette stood there bouncing on her toes, pumping her arms up and down in front of her. "Hurry before you miss it!"

He looked up to see yet another shooting star falling from the sky. As it fell, it continued to get closer towards them. Like the first, the streak caught fire as it fell, gaining speed before landing in the woods just south of Iselia.

"Professor Sage?" Colette called from the balcony. "Do you think we could look for it tomorrow when we head out on the journey?" From up on the terrace came the most disturbing voice he and ever heard.

"MUHAHAHA MARVELOUS!"

* * *

"Who dares force their way into my domain?"

The armored figure turned slowly towards the voice as Mithos floated down. No one had ever gotten into the Tower of Salvation before; it was supposed to be impossible.

He was an imposing figure, clad in dark leather with black metal plates and a blood red cape. "I am Ganondorf," he spoke with a voice that commanded respect. "Who are you? You look like the king of the fairies."

Mithos' eye twitched. If there was one name that he despised being called… "I am Yggdrasill, the leader of Cruxis."

Ganondorf made a mock bow. "My apologies, I did not realise you were so important. Forgive me for not giving a damn."

"You will pay for your insults, inferior being! HOLY LANCE!"

Ganondorf jumped out of the way and launched a shadow orb across. Yggdrasill ducked to the side and retuned fire with his own magic. Ganondorf swept his arm at the spell, deflecting it back. Caught off guard, Yggdrasill spun to the left, only to see his opponent had closed the distance. He felt a fist slam into his gut along with a torrent of magic which sent him hurling across the room and into a pillar.

"A wasted effort." Mithos flew across the room and delivered a blow of his own that sent Ganondorf sprawling down the walkway.

Ganondorf rose up into the air, threw back his head and laughed. "Is that the best you can do?" He threw his hands up, unleashing ropes of black lightning across the tower. Mithos extended his hand and unleashed his angelic powers, a beam of white light, which shot forward and collided with the lightning. The spells exploded on impact, knocking both of them back.

The battle raged on, both attacking relentlessly, both unleashing their most powerful attacks, with the area between them being reduced to rubble as stray spells tore the tower apart in a storm of magical combat.

"You are truly a worthy opponent," Mithos said as he knelt on the ground here he had been thrown. He watched as Ganondorf lifted a shattered pillar off of his chest as he rose to his feet. "The best I've had in almost 4000 years. But I tire of this game." The Eternal Sword rose up and floated before him. "Die!"

Nothing happened. The shockwave emitted by the sword passed right threw him as if he wasn't there.

"How? How can you resist the Eternal Sword?"

"There is only one blade that could harm me," he sneered as he walked closer, "and I doubt even you could wield it." He stopped a few feet in front of the Eternal Sword, his eyes wandering slowly over the length of the glowing blade. "It seems we have problem. Here we are, two men of limitless power, and neither of us willing to back down." He reached out, his hand stopping an inch away from the hilt. "I know magic. As long as you possess this sword, you can't be killed, just as I cannot be killed without the Blade of Evil's Bane."

Mithos watched him, knowing full well the truth of his words. They had been fighting for hours and neither of them had gotten anywhere. "What are you suggesting?"

Ganondorf's eyes rose, meeting his gaze. "Perhaps we can make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

A menacing grin spread across his face. "What is it you want most?"

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Professor Sage, will he be all right?"

"He'll be fine; he's just unconscious."

Link's eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. He was lying on his back with someone kneeling over him; a woman, with short white hair and an orange coat. The staff she held over him glowed with a soft light.

"Ohh. He's awake." A girl with long blonde hair stood a few feet away, clapping her hands. "Wow! You're amazing, Professor." She took a step forward and tripped over … nothing and fell flat on her face.

"How do you feel?" the woman asked, helping him sit up.

Before he could answer, a man came walking up. He was dressed in purple with a swallow-tail cape and a sword that hung easily at his side. "I didn't find anyone else," he said. "The kid must have been alone."

Link got to his feet, planning to rebuke his being called a kid, but froze. The man stood 2 feet taller than him. The memory of the battle came rushing back. Zelda had sent him back in time, back before he had drawn the Master Sword. But why wasn't he in the Temple of Time? He scanned his surroundings to figure out where he was. The four of them stood just at the edge of a forest not far from a narrow road.

"Are you alright?" the blonde asked as she dusted herself off.

"Yeah. I just … ah … can't remember exactly where I am." It wasn't really a lie. "I must have tripped and hit my head, or something."

The man's brow drew slightly as slowly looked him up and down. His gaze, pausing only once on the hilt protruding above his shoulder, was the look of a warrior; assessing, calculating, gauging the threat of the one before him.

"Can I see your sword?" he asked. Link hesitated a moment before drawing the Kokiri sword and handing it to him, it seemed little more than a dagger in his hands.

"The village of Iselia is a just north of here," the woman said. "I suggest you go there and ask for Phaidra. She should be able to help you get back home." The look she gave him said this was more than a suggestion. "Besides, I don't think a child of your age should be out here alone. It's dangerous."

He wanted to say some smart remark about being able to take care of himself but decided against it. She didn't look like someone who took kindly to being told off. Danger? She should have seen Kakariko Well. He shuddered at the memory.

"I'm sorry we can't help you," the blonde girl added, "but we have a long journey ahead of us." Link nodded his understanding

As they started off the man stopped and handed Link his sword back. "It's a good blade," he said before turning and following after the others.

As he watched them disappear down the road, he heard a faint muffled cry for help. He looked around, seeing his hat lying in a heap at the base of a tree with something moving around inside. When he picked it up, a very irate fairy flew out.

"I'm never riding in your hat again!" she chimed while flying around his head in quick circles. "I thought I was going to die in there." If only it was that simple. Navi suddenly stopped and looked around. "Where are we anyway? The Lost Woods?"

"Close," he said, pulling on his hat. "We're near the woods, and we're lost."

"How lost?"

"You remember that portal Ganon made? I think we were pulled through when Zelda sent us back."

"Oh!" she wilted slightly, "that lost." She flew over and landed on his shoulder. "Oh! You should call Saria. She always knows what to do!"

"Can't. I gave the Ocarina of Time back to Zelda, and the other is back in my house. Besides, Saria's "help" as never really that helpful, unless of course you find obscure pointless riddles of any help. "Besides, if we are in another world, what would she know about it? That's assuming we even can talk between worlds."

"Point taken. So what do you have?"

Link took a quick inventory of his items; bomb bag, slingshot, boomerang, a dozen deku nuts, two empty bottles, a third with a red potion and a fourth with a fairy. The power bracelet Darunia gave him were in a small pouch in his baldric. His most powerful items were the three small crystals, which he kept in a secret pocket on the inside of his belt; one red, one blue, and one green.

"Soooo what now?" Navi chimed. "Any ideas?"

Link looked up at the sky; he guessed it to be around mid-morning. "Come on," he said as made his way to the road. "Let's head north."

As he neared the village, Link knew something was wrong. Pillars of smoke rose into the air as flames danced across the roofs of several houses. He broke into a run. A group of soldiers marched through the entrance, pulling some kind of huge green creature along behind them. He moved off the road and circled around towards the east side of Iselia.

"Hahahaha! Burn! Burn!"

He saw two soldiers standing in front of a flaming house—one held a crossbow, the other a coiled whip. Link drew his sword and shield as he raced towards them, the ringing of steel catching their attention.

"Look, more survivors," one said as he raised his crossbow and fired. Link raised his shield, catching the bolt in the center as he closed the distance. The man tried to reload but Link was already there and drove his sword into the man's middle. As the second soldier moved in Link spun, pulling his blade from the first victim. He jumped to the side, narrowly escaping the crack of the whip. As the whip came around again he dove forward, rolling beneath the attack, and then brought his sword up in a massive arch across his chest.

"Watch out!" Navi cried as another two soldiers came running towards him. He hurled his boomerang, catching the one square in the forehead and knocking him off his feet. He caught it again and rushed the second while drawing his sword. Link leapt into the air, jumping over the attack, then brought his sword down and nailed him with a downward thrust.

"Anymore?" he asked as he checked the area.

"No," Navi replied.

As he slid his sword home, the sound of voices caught his attention.

"We've prepared an appropriate opponent for your crime."

"…What is that thing?"

Link turned and headed toward the village square.

* * *

"Fire Ball!"

Lloyd could feel the heat as three balls of flame passed over his head and stuck the creature. He ducked as a massive arm swung right where his head had been. He moved in close and slashed it with his swords but it didn't seem to notice. As effective as they were against the small monsters around the village, his wooden blades had little effect on something this big. He jumped back to avoid being crushed as a massive fist slammed into the ground. Demon Fang at least that seemed to hurt it.

As Genis unleashed a Stone Blast, Lloyd rushed in again; striking it as hard as he could before jumping back out of the way. This time he as too slow. An arm caught him hard in the shoulder and sent him sprawling across the ground. Genis rushed to his side and helped him up. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up.

A flicker of movement caught his eye.

He turned slightly to see a black ball lob through the air and land behind a group of four Desians. He blinked trying to comprehend what he seeing when…**BOOM! **The ball exploded, sending the Desians catapulting through the air.

As everyone turned toward the noise, Lloyd saw something yellow arch through the air, catching the monster hard in the side of the head. The object completed its arc, a small figure rushed past them; snagging it out of the air then moved toward the monster. It was a kid, dressed in a green tunic with a long pointed hat and a small sword and shield. He leapt up and brought his blade down across the creature's chest, leaving a shallow wound from shoulder to hip. The kid moved back towards them as the monster screamed in pain.

"Need a hand?"

"Who… Who are you?" Genis stammered.

"Now's not a good time!" Lloyd shouted as they all dove out of the monsters way. Lloyd spun swinging his sword hard against the wounded chest. It howled, turning its attention towards him. A fire ball struck it in the back; the monster turned and went for Genis. The kid moved in, stabbing it in the back of the leg, trying unsuccessfully to draw its attention. Lloyd ducked as a massive arm came around, just brushing against his hair. The kid threw up his shield, trying to deflect the brunt of the attack, but was thrown back several feet.

Lloyd moved in closer and attacked with a series of quick thrusts, keeping it busy as the kid got to his feet. Once up, he rushed back into the fight and dodged to the left before jumping up and performing an aerial spin, leaving a deep gouge in its arm. Genis followed it up with a Wind Blade, leaving the monster stunned for a split second.

Lloyd saw his opening and lunged forward, driving his blade into the open chest wound. It staggered back a few steps, clutching its head and howling in pain, then lost its balance and fell to the ground with a thud. It stopped moving.

"Lord Forcystus! Just as you thought, that boy has an Exsphere!"

"It must be the one from the Angelus Project that we've been searching for! Give it to me!"

* * *

Mithos found himself pacing, something he had not done in almost 4000 years. Then again, he had never really had need to pace in all that time. The message from Forcystus had given him the need to.

"This changes everything!"

"It changes nothing."

Mithos turned and glared at Ganondorf, though the man didn't seem to notice. He was sitting in a chair, his feet up on the desk in front of him, reading a book on the world's history. His indifference was almost as irritating as the message.

"You said it was likely the Hero from you world! I'd say that warrants at least some concern, don't you?"

Ganondorf glanced up from his book with a look of annoyance. "According the report the brat is a 10 year-old kid again. Even _if_ he has the sword, there is no way he could wield it. So unless I tripped and fell on the blade, it's of no real threat. But if he was sent back in time like I said earlier, he won't have it." He turned back to his book. "If anything, it's a benefit. We were going to bring him here anyway, so it's just one less thing to do later. Just make sure your Grand Cardinals don't kill him. Yet."

Mithos felt his anger lessen. "What about you? When will you hold up your end of the bargain?"

Ganondorf glared up at him. "I told you I can't do anything without an enhancer."

"I already gave you an Exsphere," Mithos said, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand. "There's no reason you…"

Ganondorf threw the book across the room as he shot to his feet. "Exsphere! EXSPHERE! An Exsphere is bauble, a decoration, a child's plaything." He tore the stone from the mount on his forehead. "I need a Cruxis Crystal. Only then will I have enough power to bring her here! Until then we can do nothing!"

"It's not that easy! Cruxis Crystals take years to make. It's not like we have a vast supply just lying around Derris-Kharlan. Even if we did, a Cruxis Crystal's true power can only be awakened through intense combat."

"Are there any available Cruxis Crystals at all?"

"Two; one with each of the Chosen. But they would still have to be awakened through combat. The Chosen of Sylverant started her journey, and should be here before long."

Ganondorf turned and faced the wall, seemingly in deep thought. "The more difficult the battles, the more powerful the Crystal. Correct?"

Mithos frowned, unsure what he was up to. "Yes. That's why there's a guardian at each seal, to increase the difficulty."

Ganondorf let out a small laugh then turned and started for the door. "Come, we have work to do and I will need your help. I'll explain on the way."

* * *

He carefully peeked around the edge of his hiding place, making sure no one was still in the room, before stepping out from behind the bookcase. He slowly made his way to the door, stepping over the book Ganondorf had thrown. As he reached for the handle the door started to swing inward. In a panic he threw himself against the wall, the open door hiding him from immediate view.

An angel flew into the room and paused as if looking for something. It flew over, picked the book up off the floor, and then turned and left, closing the door behind it.

The figure let out a sigh of relief. That had been too close. The last thing he needed was for someone to catch him spying. He paused, listening for any indication that someone might be in the hall, before opening the door. He checked both ways and after seeing the hall was clear slipped out of the room. He took off down the hall running as fast as he could, his ponytail trailing through the air like a blue banner.

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	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

Genis stared out over the horizon. Triet Dessert stretched out like an ocean of sand far into the distance. Behind him Link sat beside the House of Salvation petting Noishe while the two of them waited for Lloyd to come down. After the incident at Iselia, it had taken the three of them the rest of the day as well as part of the night to get here.

He idly stroked the Exsphere on the back of his hand, his thoughts drifting back to Marble and the events of the day before. He could hardly believe Marble was dead. Worse; she died partly by his own hand.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled him back to reality as he turned to see Lloyd and Link approach.

"Ready to go then?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lloyd said through a yawn. "Maybe we'll find them in Triet, or at least someone who has seen them anyway."

"Maybe we can find Lloyd some real swords!" Link laughed. "We wouldn't want him to get a splinter now."

"Shut it!" Lloyd snapped as he thumped him on the back of the head, which only seemed to make Link laugh harder. "Come on we're wasting time. Why don't you ride Noishe first and we'll switch later."

Link mounted up easily as if he had had years of practice riding a 'dog.' As he got settled, Navi flew out from under his hat and started flitting about, as was her habit. Genis had never seen anyone quite like Link before, and it wasn't his strange clothes or his pointed ears or even the fact that he had a fairy. It was something else, something he just couldn't quite put his finger on.

While the mayor had been yelling at Lloyd, Link had disappeared. Phaidra had seen him leave the village and with the way the mayor had been carrying on, Genis didn't blame him.

When they finally caught up with him, Lloyd asked if he wanted to come along with them, feeling responsible for Link being unwelcome in Iselia. When they told him they were going to help the Chosen, he got a puzzled look on his face. "What's a Chosen?"

"You know. The Tower of Salvation? World Regeneration? The Goddess Martel? Sealing the Desians?" Link just shook his head. "But… But… didn't they teach you about any of this in school?" Even Lloyd knew the basics to an extent, and he almost never paid attention.

"Um… What's a school?" Link had asked, looking more confused than ever. Even Lloyd had been struck speechless. When they asked him where he was from, Link just said it was far away. Genis never pushed the matter; he knew better than most how important secrets could be.

As they travelled south, Genis taught him everything he knew about the World Regeneration, starting with the history and working up to the present. He was impressed by how quickly he learned, but couldn't get over how much Link didn't know.

Along the way, Link had introduced them to Navi. While fascinated with seeing a real live fairy, he couldn't help but find her incredibly annoying. She seemed to constantly spew random information that had absolutely no purpose whatsoever. He secretly wondered what would happen when they caught up with Raine, maybe Raine would dissect her.

The sound of Navi's high pitched ringing pulled him out of his thoughts. Noishe let out a howl as he turned and ran back the way they came as Link leapt off his back, drawing his sword as he landed. A pair of wolves rushed towards them, barking angrily and salivating over the meal to come.

Lloyd drew his swords and moved up beside Link, putting them in position to take the brunt of the attack. Genis pulled out his kendama as the first wolf came for Link. When it had closed the distance, Link dropped to one knee and raised his shield in defense; the wolf leapt at its target, throwing its full weight against the shield. Link fell back, bringing his feet up into the wolf's belly to use its weight and speed to flip it over him. As the wolf landed on its back, Link came down on top, turned his sword downward, and ran the wolf through in one fluid motion. The whole thing ended in mere seconds.

The second wolf now made its move against Lloyd, lunging towards him with open jaws. Lloyd swung his sword and caught the wolf across the jaw, and its path was diverted just enough to miss the target. The wolf landed, turned, and lunged again, catching Lloyd off guard. He tried to defend but his swords made a poor shield as the wolf tackled him to the ground. Genis unleashed an Aqua Edge, blasting the wolf off of Lloyd and onto its side. Lloyd sprang to his feet and, with all his strength, brought the blade down against the beast's neck; the attack was punctuated by the sound of snapping bone.

Genis ran over to Lloyd to make sure he was ok. He stood silently, looking winded but unharmed. It was his face that caught him off guard. It held a mix of suppressed rage and jealousy, a look he had seen on Lloyd's face quite often of late. Genis followed his gaze over to Link, who was kneeling down and cleaning the blood off of his blade on the dead wolf.

Lloyd had always been considered the best swordsman in Iselia, a title which he took great pride in. But if there was one thing that he despised, it was being shown up. Especially at something he was good at. Having been shown up by a professional mercenary was bad enough, but a 10 year old kid?

"Is something wrong?" Link asked as he approached.

Lloyd turned away and looked out over the horizon. "It's nothing," he said emotionlessly? "Come on, we should get going if we hope to catch up with the Colette," he said as he started out again.

"Hey! Hey! Listen! Hey!" Navi chimed as she flew in rapid circle.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, searching for signs of trouble.

"We should head south to Triet in order to find the Chosen."

Genis blinked. "What? That's what we're doing. Why …"

"She does this all the time. Just ignore her," Link sighed as they started off again.

The desert was hotter than Genis had ever imagined. Between the scorching sun overhead and the burning sand under foot, it was all he could do to keep going. The trek was made worse by the constant rise and fall of the sand dunes. Occasionally they were offered a view of the city only a short distance to the south.

Noishe had come back after the wolves had been killed. Genis had thought that with all that fur, Noishe would have a hard time in the desert. As it turned out, the big dog seemed to enjoy running around in the sand; the same couldn't be said for the rest of them.

"Why is it so hot?" Lloyd complained.

"They say it's because the gateway to Efreet is nearby." Genis replied.

"What's an Efreet?" Link asked.

"Efreet is the Summon Spirit of Fire." Genis replied.

"Summon Spirit? Like the ones you said the Chosen is supposed to awaken?" Link asked.

Lloyd's head snapped up. "Then that would mean Colette and the others are nearby. So where do we find this gateway?"

Before Genis could answer, Noishe stopped in his tracks and started growling. His gaze seemed locked on the next sand dune.

"What is it Noishe? Are there more monst—"

"Watch out!"

The instant Navi cried out, Link dove to the side. A ball of electricity shot right through where he had been standing. Lloyd turned to see what was going on when a second shot struck him in the chest. He collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.

Link got to his feet as a group Desians came marching towards them. Genis counted over twenty as they moved in, spreading out to prevent escape.

"There's too many of them!" Genis said, trying to keep the fear from his voice. "What are we going to do?" He wished he wasn't such a coward; he wished he could be brave like Lloyd or Link.

"We can't fight them all," Link said as he pulled out a gold bracelet and slipped in on his wrist. "I'll keep them busy, you have to go and find the Chosen."

Before Genis could answer, Link grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him up on to Noishe. As the Desians closed in, Link pulled something from one of his pouches and threw it at the ground in front of him. The small object exploded in a burst of light, blinding the Desians.

"Now's your chance! Navi go with him and find the Chosen. Hurry!" He pulled his sword and shield out and with the broad side of the blade slapped Noishe. With a howl Noishe took off at a run, jumping over the blinded Desians. Genis held on for dear life as he tore across the sand with Navi flying alongside. He glanced over his shoulder to see the ring of Desians fall upon Link; watched as Link, outnumbered twenty to one, stood his ground in order to buy Genis the time needed to escape.

As the fight vanished behind the rise of the sand, Genis turned back to the task at hand. He had to find Colette and Raine. It was his fault all of this had happened had he had to make up for it; he had to save his friends.

* * *

He was aware of nothing except the throbbing pain in the back of his head. He remembered fighting; he had managed to kill several of the Desians. Then one of them had clubbed him on the back of the head. Everything after that was a blank. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a dull, grey ceiling. The floor beneath him felt cold and metallic.

He sat up and found himself in a small cell with a single low bed hanging from one of the walls and thick steel bars blocking the opening. They seemed to be made of the same metal as the rest of the cell.

Lloyd was standing by the gate, staring out at a strange device with lights on it but set just out of reach. As Link got to his feet, Lloyd turned towards him.

"You're awake! I was beginning to worry."

"Where are we?" Link asked as he dusted himself off; an odd habit he had developed. He noticed his buckler was gone, along with all of his belt pouches and weapons. Lloyd's swords were missing as well. When it came to taking prisoners, Desians were a lot smarter than the Gerudo thieves.

"No idea. All I remember was being out in the desert, Navi shouting something, and then waking up here. What happened?"

"We were attacked by Desians. You were knocked out by some kind of attack and they tried to capture us. I was able to help Genis get away, but I guess they caught me too."

"Then this must be a human ranch. That must be why they captured us and took our stuff." Lloyd turned towards the gate, seeming almost to be talking to himself. "We need to find a way out. But there's no lock or handle that I can see. It might be one of those switches over there but I can't reach them." He turned back to Link. "Check your pockets and see if they missed anything."

"Sorry Lloyd but I don't even have pants much less pockets. Where would I …" Link froze. He reached down and felt along the inside of his belt, feeling for his secret pouch. "Wait, I think I may have a way out." He grinned as he pulled out a small, green crystal.

He threw it against the ground, smashing it open and releasing a burst of green energy. He wheeled his arms around then raised them above his head, pulling the magic around him where it collected in a glowing orb that floated above his raised hands. When the spell was complete, the ball of light flew off through the bars and out into the hallway.

"What was that?"

"Our way out, come on." He grabbed Lloyd's arm and released the second half of the spell. A green aura of light engulfed them as the world around them vanished from sight. He could hear nothing but the sound of rushing wind, could see nothing but the green haze that surrounded him. The floor vanished beneath his feet as he felt himself being pulled along by the rush of magic. For a few brief moments he was floating in a world of nothingness.

As quickly as it started, the spell ended. The green light faded and the world came rushing back into view. He and Lloyd were lowered back down to the floor as the light formed back into a small crystal in his hand. The two of them now stood in the hall just outside of their cell.

"Whoa! That was so cool! Even Genis and the Professor can't do something like that!"

Link stared at the gem in his hand a moment. "It's called Farore's Wind. It has the power of one of the Goddesses."

"Goddesses? I thought there was only Martel?"

"Oh! Um… yeah, of course. I was just um… I mean I, ah, well… Never mind, I'll explain later. For now let's just worry about finding our equipment and getting out of here."

* * *

Raine sat quietly under the shade of the Triet Inn. She held an open book in front of her and pretended to read as she watched the people moving about the square. The figures she was most interested in were two Desians. They had appeared in town and were asking around for a group of three children whom they were hunting.

Her first thought had been they were hunting for the Chosen. Kratos had taken Colette somewhere to hide while she tried to get more information. From what she had heard and seen so far, she doubted they were looking for them, but a little caution never hurt. Besides that, the Desians weren't allowing anyone to leave town yet.

As they started in her direction, she lowered her eyes and turned a page, trying to appear oblivious to everything around her. It was a trick she fooled her students with quite often.

"Hey you," one of them asked as they stopped beside her.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Have you seen these kids around anywhere?"

Raine closed her book and took the paper he had handed to her. She did her best to hide her emotion from her face as she scanned over the wanted poster. The pictures were poorly drawn but two of the faces looked slightly familiar. "Not that I recall," she answered. "May I ask what this is all about?"

"Just a group of thieves we're after, that's all you need to know," he sneered as he reached for the poster.

"Would you mind if I kept this? I'm a teacher, you see, and I could show it to my students. They may know something, and I could let you know what I learn."

"Good idea," he grinned. "After all, we half-elves should stick together."

She returned his smile as he turned and left, gathering the other Desians before they headed towards the entrance of town. As the last of them headed out the gate, Kratos and Colette came around from behind the inn.

"What were you able to learn?" Kratos asked.

Without a word she handed Kratos the paper. As he looked it over, a slight look of concern creased his face. "This looks like Lloyd and your brother Genis. Are they who the Desians are looking for?" She nodded. "What about the other one? Is he one of your students from Iselia?"

"No, but I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. The Desians said they were thieves on the run but would give no more information."

"It says they were last seen fleeing south from Iselia," Kratos replied as he handed her the poster back, "but it gives no names and the descriptions are vague. It's possible it's not them at all."

"But what if it is Lloyd?" Colette asked. "We have to help them!"

Raine sighed. "The area between here and Iselia is vast; we could search for weeks and not find them. If it is Lloyd and Genis, they will probably come looking for us."

"But…"

"The best thing to do now is to head to the Seal of Fire. After that maybe –"

Kratos was cut off by someone screaming near the entrance. He drew his sword and turned toward the commotion as several people took off running and screaming "Monster!"

"Hey! It's Noishe!" Colette cried as the big green and white dog came running towards them; there appeared to be something lying across his back.

"Genis!?" Genis lay straddled on Noishe's back, his arms hung limp to either side, and his head lolled back and forth lifelessly with the movement. Raine ran forward as Noishe slowed to a stop. She grabbed her brother and lowered him down to the ground, relieved to find he was only unconscious.

"Is he alright?" Colette asked as she knelt down beside her.

"I think he just passed out from heat exhaustion. He should be fine with a bit of rest. Let's take him inside where it's cool." As she started to lift him, Genis' eyes popped open and he sat up with a gasp. He clutched his stomach as he fell into a coughing fit from breathing in too much sand.

"You have to help me, Raine! Please! It's all my fault! Please, we have to help Lloyd!"

"Slow down," Raine said as she handed him a water skin. "Take a drink, catch your breath, and tell us what happened."

Genis took a deep breath, "The night before you left, I took Lloyd to the Ranch. I wanted to introduce him to a friend. We got caught. Lloyd saved me but they saw his face."

"You went to the ranch! How many times have I warned you to stay away from there?" She was about to clout him when Kratos caught her arm. "Let him speak." Kratos said flattly

Genis wiped his eyes and then continued, "Just after you left, Desians attacked Iselia." Colette gasped. "They were looking for Lloyd. They… They tried to kill us and probably would have too, but a kid named Link appeared and helped us. Lord Forcystus, their leader, was almost killed and he swore that they would come after us again. The Mayor banished us from Iselia. A lot of people were killed, and half the village burned down. We decided we would come and help Colette but we were attacked. Link helped me escape, but he and Lloyd were captured. Please we have to help them. It's my fault all of this happened."

"Professor we have to help Lloyd!" Colette added, "He would do the same for us."

"Where did they take him?" Kratos asked.

Genis dropped his gaze. "I don't know."

"I do!" came a high pitched, feminine voice. "They took them East!"

A winged ball of light flew over from behind Noishe and circled around Genis' head. "Hi! I'm Navi, Link's partner."

"Are you a ... fairy?" Colette asked.

"That's right!" she chimed. "It's a long story but basically Link and I are bonded by magic. No matter how far apart we are, we always know exactly where the other is. The two of them were taken together and Link is east of here."

Raine turned to Kratos. "What do you think?"

"I go where the Chosen goes. If this is her wish, then I have no objections." he answered, turning his gaze to Colette.

"Alright," Raine said turning back to Genis and Navi. "I want to hear the full story, start to finish; everything you remember. We can talk on the way, now let's hurry up and find them. Navi, lead the way."

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	4. Chapter 4

-Chapter 4-

Lloyd pressed his back against the wall and glanced cautiously around the corner. He pulled his head back as two Desians rushed past the intersection and carried on down the hall, completely missing the two they were looking for. He let out a sigh of relief and slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, taking the opportunity to catch his breath.

"Are you alright Lloyd?" Link asked as he stood calmly beside him.

Lloyd forced himself to stand up. "I'm fine," he grumbled. "I thought you might need a break or something."

"Oh! Well you don't have worry about me," Link shrugged. "I'm used to this kind of thing." The blond-haired kid walked past him and out into the next hall without even checking to see if anyone else was coming. "Come on!" he called over his shoulder. "We have to find you another weapon."

Lloyd glanced down at the wooden swords in his hands, or rather, what was left of them. One was snapped in half and the other was little more than a hilt. They were nothing compared to the heavy steel weapons that the Desians used. And in the last fight, both his blades had shattered like toothpicks. He would have died had Link not saved his life and finished the fight by himself. He felt his fists tightening around the hilts. Link. With a sigh of frustration he tossed the busted weapons on the floor and followed after his young companion.

Before they had gone ten feet, the sound of an alarm rang through the base. Red lights flashed along the ceiling and loud sirens rang out in every direction. Shouts from guards and the ring of footsteps erupted from down the hall they had just come.

The two of them took off at a dead run, the shouts of the guards growing ever closer. At the far end of the hall, several guards rounded the corner and started towards them. Lloyd could feel his heart racing in his chest. He was unarmed, and with more men coming up behind them, they would be captured again for sure.

"Leave this to me!" Link called as he ran alongside him. A strange mark on his left hand suddenly lit up with a golden light and Link rushed forward with incredible speed. The Desians drew their weapons to fight back as Link moved in. He cut through the first as if he were standing still and drove his way into the center of the group. The Desians fell upon him from all sides like a pack of rabid dogs.

At first Lloyd could see nothing but the Desians, then a flash of red light, followed by a shout of rage and screams of pain. A dome of fire erupted from the group, sending the Desians flying in every direction. The dome pulsed for a moment and then exploded outward, sending a wall of flame racing down the hall towards Lloyd. He threw his hands up and closed his eyes, expecting the worst. Nothing happened.

He carefully opened his eyes and looked around. The walls, floor, and ceiling were scorched black. All that remained untouched was a small patch of floor in the center of a ring of dead Desians. There on that spot, with his left hand pressed flat against the floor and his head bowed, was Link. Lloyd rushed towards him as he slowly got to his feet. In his hand he held a small red crystal, similar to the one they had used to escape their cell.

"Link! Are you ok?" he asked. "What was that you did just now?"

He carefully slipped the object inside the hidden pocket on his belt. "Din's Fire," he said without looking up. Before Lloyd could ask any more questions, more Desians appeared behind in the hall behind them. "Come on. Let's get out of here." They took off down the hall and around the corner, but they found themselves at a dead end.

Lloyd went for the closest door. "In here," he called as it slid open on its own. Link quickly followed him through before the guards could see where they went. The door closed behind them, leaving the two of them standing alone in what appeared to be a finely decorated office.

"Phew, that was a close," Lloyd sighed.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Lloyd spun on his heels towards the voice. A man was standing behind them with his arms crossed, wearing a long dark blue cape with a red and black vest and white pants. He wore greaves and bracers of the same color as his cape. His long, blue hair was tied back in a loose ponytail that was pulled over one shoulder. Lloyd took a step back, reaching for his swords but finding only empty scabbards. The strange man uncrossed his arms and extended his right hand, a ball of purple lightning forming in his open palm.

"Give me your name, and I shall give you mine," taunted Lloyd.

"Hahahahaha. You certainly have guts. But I don't see the need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you!"

"What a coincidence. Because I don't see the need to introduce myself to a moron who doesn't realize how pathetic he is."

"Why you little…" the ball of lightning shot forward. Lloyd threw his hands up in defense but before it could strike him, Link jumped between the two of them and deflected the attack back at the strange man. The Desian deftly stepped to one side, dodging the attack.

"A young boy with green clothes and blond hair… Are you Link?" the man asked with a look of surprise.

"You should know who we are Desian, you're the ones who captured us." Lloyd snapped, frustrated at being ignored.

"That's right. Botta mentioned capturing a kid in red clothes," the man said as he looked Lloyd up and down. "But in truth the only one I wanted was you Link."

"Huh? Me? What do you want with me?" Link asked as he moved into a defensive pose. "And how do you even know who I am?"

"How I know you and what my intentions are, is of no concern to you," the blue haired man answered as he walked over to the wall. "Now we can do this the easy way," he lifted a sword from a bracket on the wall, "or the hard way."

"What's up with the clichéd lines?" Lloyd asked.

"Silence. I will deal with you later," he snapped before turning his attention back to Link. "You can either help us willingly or unwillingly, it makes little difference to me."

"This is my answer!" The mark on the back of Link's hand lit up once more and he rushed forward and stabbed at the man. He parried the small blade aside and lashed out with a barrage of his own attacks. Link blocked the attacks with his shield. He dropped to one knee, letting the blade pass over his head, and then unleashed an upward thrust towards his opponent's unguarded middle.

The man stepped back to avoid being impaled then dove forward with a thrust of his own. Link preformed a back flip, just clearing the range of the sword, followed by another in hopes of putting some range between him and the other fighter. It wasn't enough. The man closed the distance and unleashed a powerful slash which caught Link across his right shoulder before he could block it. Link ignored the wound and quickly leapt to the side, circling around behind his foe as a blue aura engulfed his blade. When he was in position, Link unleashed a powerful spin attack. The shockwave struck the man in the center of his back, knocking him from his feet.

Link leapt in the air and came down with a downward thrust to finish the man off. At the last second he rolled out of the way. Link slammed into the ground, his sword driving several inches into the steel floor. The Desian spun on the floor and kicked Link hard in the side, knocking him across the floor.

"I had heard that you were an impressive swordsman," the man said as he got to his feet. "I'm glad to see that you lived up to my expectations." With one hand he pulled Link's blade from the floor. "You will need this," he said as he tossed the blade back to its owner.

Link got to his feet and picked up his weapon. "You are a skilled warrior as well, one of the best opponents I've ever fought. Now, let's finish this!"

Just as the two of them clashed swords, the door at the far end of the room slid open. Lloyd turned to see Genis and Colette enter the room followed closely behind by Kratos and Raine.

"Damn it!" the man cursed beneath his breath. "I'm ruined if he sees me! Link, the next time we meet, you're mine. Thunder Explosion!" Multiple bolts of lightning slammed into the ground and sent Link clear across the room where he slammed in to the wall. Through the flash of light, Lloyd caught sight of the strange man as he slipped through the door on the opposite wall and made his escape.

* * *

As the door slid open, Raine could hear the ringing of steel on steel. She could make out two people engaged in a fierce battle; one was short and dressed all in green and the other was a blur of dark blue. As she entered the room, followed closely behind by Kratos, the battle stopped.

Before she could see what he looked like, the taller of the two unleashed a massive spell; bolts of lightning fell between the combatants, blocking him from her view. The lightning exploded against the ground, sending a young boy who matched Genis' description of Link flying across the room and slamming into the wall. The other combatant vanished through another door.

Lloyd, who had been standing near the center of the room, rushed over to where Link laid, Colette and Genis following right behind him. Raine followed the others while Kratos drew his sword and made for the other door through which the mysterious fighter had made his escape.

As she got close, she saw the young boy lying on his side against the wall. Colette moved back to make room for her.

"Professor! Can you help him?" Lloyd asked earnestly.

"Yes, I'll help him. Just calm down and give me some room and I'll-" Before she could finish, Link let out a groan and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Wow! Professor Raine, I didn't know you could heal that fast!" Colette said from over her shoulder. "You're amazing!"

"I don't think she did anything," Lloyd replied.

She could hardly believe that anyone would be moving after taking a hit like that. The right sleeve of his tunic was red with blood, but it didn't seem to faze him at all. As he sat there a moment, she saw what appeared to be a golden triangle on the back of his left hand that seemed to shine from within.

"Here, let me heal you," she offered. Link reached down, picked up a small sword from the ground, and then pushed himself to his feet. Raine and the others stood and moved back, giving him some room.

"Where is he?" he asked as he leaned against wall.

"The man you were fighting is gone," Kratos said as he approached. "I suggest you let Raine heal you, as you are in no condition to walk, much less fight."

Link nodded and slid back down to the floor again, leaving a smear of red blood on the wall behind him. As he sat, the mark on his hand faded until all that was left was a faint marking on the back of his hand. "You're the ones I met before on the side of the road."

"Yes that's right," she said as she started healing his wounds, which were less severe then she had originally thought. "Although, we were not formally introduced back then; I'm Genis' sister, Raine; this is Colette, the Chosen; and the man behind me is Kratos." She dropped her eyes to the floor. "Genis told me about what happened in Iselia. I want to thank you for helping him. And I want to apologize for all the trouble he's caused you," she said turning to Lloyd. "Especially you, Lloyd. There's no way we can make up for what been done."

Lloyd shook his head. "No. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was the one who dragged Genis into it."

"And it was my choice to help," Link added. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Thanks guys," Genis said in a weak voice.

"I hate to break this up," Kratos interrupted, "but if we stay here much longer the guards are sure to find us. It will do us no good to get trapped in this room." Without waiting for an acknowledgment, he turned and headed for the door.

"I agree," Raine said as she stood. "That should take care of the major injuries; the rest will be fine after a good night's sleep."

"I feel a lot better now, thank you." Link sheathed his sword and hung his shield on his back as he fell in behind Lloyd and Genis. As they got to the door, Kratos unhooked something from under his cloak and handed it to Lloyd.

"You will need these," he said as Lloyd stared at the twin blades in his hands.

"How did you…"

"I saw your broken blades while we were trying to find you. When we passed the armory, I stopped and grabbed a set," he said without looking back.

"You did? Why?"

"You can't expect to protect the Chosen if you are unarmed."

"Is that the only reason?"

"…"

"Kratos, I …"

"Save the chit-chat for later. Now, let's go," he said as he started off towards the exit.

The halls were empty as they ran through the base. Raine found it odd that there was no one around at all. The uneasy feeling continued to grow with every step; something was going on.

"By the way, where's Navi?" Link asked as he ran. "I thought she was with you, Genis."

"Sis asked her to stay by the entrance and keep watch," he answered. "That way she could warn us if they tried to cut off our escape."

"But I thought you were able to sense where each other are?" Raine asked from behind.

"I can tell what direction she's in, but distance is a lot harder. The closer we are, the stronger it is. Speaking of which, here she comes now."

Right on cue, Navi flew around the corner ahead of them. The group slowed to a stop as she began flying about in mad panic.

"Kratos!" she shrieked. "They have the entrance blocked off! I counted over 25! And one of them, I think he's their leader, had a giant red sword."

"Can we fight our way through?" Lloyd asked.

"No," Kratos replied. "There are too many. Don't forget that some of our group must be protected in order to be effective in battle."

"He's right. I suggest we search for another exit," Raine said in agreement. "They are expecting us to leave the same way we came in. The other exits may not be as heavily guarded."

"What if we could decrease their numbers before he fight them?" Link asked.

"You mean that fire thing you did before?" Lloyd asked. Raine remembered seeing the blackened hallway, but she would have never guessed that Link could have pulled off such a spell. Even Genis couldn't pull off a spell that big yet, and he was far advanced for his age.

Link shook his head. "No, I can't do that again until it recharges. I wish now I'd saved it," he sighed. "But if we could reduce their numbers—let's say, by half—could we fight our way through?"

"Yes, if we could cut their numbers back by that many, it should be possible. If nothing else I could always…" he trailed off for a moment. "Anyway, what did you have in mind?"

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	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5-

Despite having so many people around, the main entrance was silent as the grave. Botta stood idly near the door, the tip of his sword resting on the ground as he and his men watched the hall that led towards them. Yuan had taken the rest of the Renegades to guard the Rheaird hanger – the only other exit. While Kratos was the only one who would know what a Rheaird is, Yuan was taking no chances; even if Kratos was hiding his identity.

A flicker of light from the hallway caught his gaze as he silently alerted his men to prepare themselves. Botta frowned as a small ball of light floated down the hall towards them. He braced himself, unsure of what he was looking at as the light speck came to a stop a few feet in front of him.

"Hello!" Botta blinked, not sure if he had just heard this thing speak. From what he could tell, it was just a ball of light with wings.

"Hello!" the thing said again in its ringing voice. Botta's men moved in closer, staring at the strange creature in front of them. It simply hovered on the spot, as if waiting for an answer. "Hello!" it pressed again, its tone becoming slightly irritated.

"Hello," Botta replied. As soon as the word left his mouth the thing let out a loud ringing noise and flew over up over his head. Everyone's gaze followed as the strange creature darted over towards the door and started spinning in mad circles. "Watch out!" it shrieked whilst tearing around in chaotic patterns.

It was in the middle of all this that Botta heard another sound – a mechanical sound, like that of small wheels on a steel floor. At first it was barely audible, but quickly became louder. He turned back to the hallway in search of the source. Moving down the hall at an alarming rate were two mechanical mice, each one about the size of a man's head. The burning fuse on the back of each one was like a beacon of doom.

"Damn!"

* * *

As soon as he heard the second explosion, Kratos darted around the corner and made for the entrance, his sword drawn and ready for battle. Lloyd and Link followed hard on his tail, with the last three following at a short distance behind. The room was filled with a haze of sulphuric smoke that quickly dispersed through vents in the roof, revealing the results of Link's attack. Only a handful of men were still standing, the rest were a bloody mess scattered across the floor and walls. Even though Link had warned them that this would be the result, he had never expected it to be quite this bad, and judging by the gasps of the other party members, neither had anyone else.

Doing his best to ignore the scene, Kratos turned his focus back to the task at hand. The Chosen was not safe yet and wouldn't be until all their enemies were dead and they were well clear of this place. He scanned over those still alive and found the one person he was interested in; the man Navi had described. Botta. The sight of him confirmed his suspicions. These were the Renegades that had been causing Mithos so much trouble.

"Link, take the left; Lloyd, cover the right," he called over his shoulder. The two broke off and headed for the men who were still alive. Behind them he could hear the others falling into place. Colette was to cover Link while Genis supported Lloyd. Raine would fill in the gaps where needed.

Ahead of him, Botta shouted orders, trying desperately to rally the confused remains of his force. Kratos brought his sword up to run through his opponent as he closed the gap. Botta's massive sword came up, deflecting the thrust just enough to miss its target. Kratos spun on his heel, bringing his sword around in a high arc and locking their blades together in spray of sparks.

"We meet again, Kratos Aurion," Botta seared before pushing him back. Kratos stepped clear of a massive full arm swing before launching a fireball at his opponent. Botta deflected the attack then drove the tip of his sword into the floor, releasing with it a surge of mana. The ground in front of him exploded outward in a wave of stone and steel shards. Kratos leapt over the attack and drove forward, locking swords with Botta again.

"What's the matter?" the half-elf taunted. "Where are your angelic powers?" Kratos cursed under his breath as Botta fired off a Grave spell, forcing him back. Mithos had been adamant about not revealing his true powers to the Chosen, or anyone else for that matter. And with Raine already suspicious and constantly watching him, he had to be extra careful in what he did or said.

"If this is the best you can do," Botta laughed as he knocked Kratos' attack aside, "angel or no, you're still just an inferior being." Kratos blocked a full arm attack, the impact nearly tearing the shield from his arm. "Do you really think that Yggdrasill will allow a mere human to be a part of his 'Age of Lifeless Beings'?" Botta taunted as he lashed out with his sword.

"Enough of this!" Kratos growled half under his breath. The angel pushed forward, bringing his sword up as if to cleave Botta in two. At the last second, he spun to the left, bringing his sword down to strike his opponent from behind. Botta kept pace; turning the opposite direction and bringing his blade up in defense, locking the weapons together. With their positions reversed, Kratos could see the room that had been behind him. More importantly, he could see Raine was preoccupied with maintaining a defensive barrier around Lloyd. Now was his chance.

Tapping into his angelic powers, Kratos unleashed his mana, launching himself into an upward spiral and tearing the sword from Botta's hand. When he reached his zenith, Kratos unleashed a Light Spear; dropping into a forward dive aimed straight at Botta's heart. The half-elf tried to jump clear the attack range but was too slow as Kratos' blade went straight through his thigh and out the other side. In one fluid motion Kratos pulled his sword free, spun on his heel, and kicked Botta square in the chest, sending him to the floor in a dazed heap.

It was a flicker of motion, something seen out of the very corner of his eye that drew his attention from his opponent. At first he saw only Lloyd engaged in a clumsy battle against a renegade soldier, and then he saw it. One of the men caught in the initial explosion pushed himself up enough to point a crossbow at Lloyd. Mere seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity as Kratos' gaze passed between Botta and Lloyd. "Damn me for a fool!" he growled under his breath.

Kratos turned away from Botta and moved against the wounded soldier. He brought his sword down on the half-elf's wrist just as he was about to fire, sending the bolt off target where it skipped harmlessly off the floor. Kratos then twisted his blade, bringing it up and drove it through the man's chest putting a permanent end to the threat.

When he turned back to Botta, he saw that the half elf was up and, despite his wounded leg, making a break for the far hall. Genis threw up his kendama, sending a lightning bolt down against the Renegade leader. Botta grunted against the impact, stumbled a step, and then dropping to one knee. Kratos started across the room after him but never made it more than two steps before Botta released a surge of mana into the ground. Genis screamed as the ground beneath his feet exploded upwards in a massive Stalagmite. As Raine frantically threw a barrier up around her brother, Botta made his escape down the hall, his spell collapsing the passage behind him.

* * *

"…In other words, these Exspheres are amplifiers that awaken our dormant capabilities. Fantastic." Lloyd still found it odd that anyone would have to teach Raine anything; she was the type of person who just seemed to know it all. Kratos had given most of the explanation, he seemed to know as much about Exspheres as Dirk, Lloyd had filled in a few minor points the he had missed.

"I wonder if I could use one too?!" she mused, speaking to no one in particular. In her hand she held the Exsphere which they had found attached to the broken hilt of Botta's sword

"That would be difficult." Kratos said from where he leaned against the wall "Exspheres are harmful to the body without a Key Crest."

"Um… Can't we make a Key Crest?" Colette asked. Lloyd glanced over at her as she sat on the bed beside him, listening intently to everything that was said. It was like she was sitting through one of Raine's lectures; as if anything said could be on the next test. Then again, knowing the professor, it just might.

"If the charm was all that was needed I could carve it myself, but only dad could process the ore needed for the mount," Lloyd pointed out.

"Just a minute." Raine pulled her pack out from under the bed and began rummaging through it, mumbling to herself as indistinct items clinked together while being pushed aside.

While Raine was removing things from the pack and placing them on the floor, Lloyd glanced over at Link and Genis. The two of them were sitting across from each other on the floor playing a strange game with coloured stones. Link had said it was a game from his home and had produced the stones from one of the many small pouches the covered his belt and baldric. He secretly wondered what else he carried around with him.

"What is all that stuff Professor?" Colette asked from where she sat beside Lloyd on one of the beds. She had sat quietly beside him, listening to Kratos as if it were one of Raine's classes. As she leaned forward to get a better look, Link's hat slid down over her eyes.

"Why are you wearing that anyway?" Lloyd asked as she readjusted the long pointed hat on her head.

"Because it's cool!" she said with a big smile. Colette had taken Link's hat as soon as they got to the Triet Inn and had been wearing it ever since.

"Is there any inhibitor ore among these materials?" Raine asked, kneeling on the floor in front of collection of odd items.

Genis looked up from his game. "Raine! Did you bring these from our house?"

"Of course! They're valuable research materials," Raine replied, almost as if she were in her own little world. "This is the holy vase from the Balacruf Mausoleum"

"It looks like a pile of junk," Link said cutting her off. The room fell into a dead silence, save only for a muted groan from Genis. It was at this point that Link learned two very important things; never interrupt Professor Sage, and never insult her junk.

"What did you say?!" Raine demaned as she jumped to her feet. Lloyd couldn't help but be amazed at how fast she was able to cross the room as the Professor stood glaring down at the blond haired boy, looking ready to break out into one of her 'state the historical relevance' speeches.

"What's this?" All eyes suddenly turned as Kratos plucked a small object from amongst the clutter on the floor.

"Ah, I found that near the Ranch. It had angelic writing on it, so I took it home. Why? Do you know what it is?"

"It's a Key Crest," Kratos said as he looked the small object over. "But the crest is mostly worn off. It's unusable as it is."

Kratos turned and handed the Key Crest to Lloyd. "If the crest is all that's needed, I can have it fixed in no time," Lloyd said as he inspected the object in his hand. "You'll be able to equip it by tomorrow."

"Really? Thank you Lloyd! I'm sorry for making you go through the trouble, but I appreciate it. You can show me how to use it after we leave tomorrow."

"Hey Sis? Does that mean we can come with you?" Genis asked hopefully.

"Yes, you and Lloyd can come with us. After all, wasn't that your plan from the beginning?"

"Um… Professor Sage?" Colette asked looking slightly confused. "What about Link?" All eyes shifted from Raine to Link and then back again. The awkward moment seemed to drag out, as if no one knew the answer to the question; or if they did know, they were afraid to say it out loud.

It was Kratos who finally broke the silence. "Before anything is decided, Raine, I would like to have a word with you. In private." Without even waiting for an answer, he turned and walked out of the room and into the darkened hall.

With a sigh, Raine turned and followed after the mercenary. "I want all of you to stay here," she said from the doorway. "No one leaves this room until one of us gets back. Is that understood?" She waited long enough for everyone to acknowledge then closed the door as she hurried after Kratos.

* * *

Raine's breath was misty as she stepped out into the cold night air. The streets were empty at this time of night, leaving the small town in an eerie silence. She walked around the corner of the inn and found Kratos; he was standing at the foot of the dock, his back to her as he stared out over the expanse of the oasis.

"What's this all about Kratos?" Raine stopped a few paces behind him, her arms crossed in front of her chest. He stood silent for a minute, his left hand resting on hilt of his sword as he stared out over the water.

"I want Link to travel with us."

"No."

Kratos turned to face her, his face void of any expression. "I respect your opinion, but I must insist on this," he said flatly. "Link should come with us on the Journey of Regeneration."

"You can't be serious, Kratos. This is a terrible idea; we don't know anything about him!"

"No less than you know about me."

"And let's not forget that he's being hunted by the Desians."

Kratos turned his back to her as he stared out over the water again. "Like Lloyd and your brother. If I recall correctly, it was Genis' idea to go to the Ranch in the first place." The cold tone of his voice cut worse than any knife. "Besides that, the Desians will be looking for the Chosen anyways; an extra sword might come in handy."

Raine frowned, "And yet, you didn't want the extra help when Genis and Lloyd first offered in Iselia."

"…"

"I don't understand you, Kratos Aurion. One minute you call them a burden and say that children should stay home, and now you insist that we let a 10-year-old boy defend the Chosen."

"I have my reasons," he replied flatly.

Raine stood silent for a minute. "There … There's something else I think you should know about, Kratos. It's about Link's mana."

Kratos turned back towards her. "What about it?"

"He doesn't have any."

Kratos frowned. "That's not possible. Life can't exist without mana."

Raine turned and stared up at the lit window of the inn. "I know it sounds impossible, but Link has no mana. I asked Genis about it and he said the same thing."

"What about Navi?"

Raine shook her head. "In a way, I find it both fascinating and terrifying at the same time." She let out a sigh. "I can see there's no changing your mind on this, but if you insist on bringing him along on the Journey, I have one condition. If at any point he becomes a threat to our mission—"

"My first priority is to protect the Chosen, that's what I'm paid to do. If it becomes a problem, I will take care of it myself; you have my word."

"Alright," Raine said, trying to sound satisfied with his answer. "I'll go tell them our decision." She started back to the inn leaving Kratos alone by the dock. 'Who are you Kratos Aurion?' she thought to herself. 'Who are you?'

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	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6-

"Behold!" Raine exclaimed, stretching her arm out in grand presentation. "The Triet Ruins! One of the great archaeological wonders of the world!" Link stared out over the sandy ruins of what appeared to have been a small city at one time. All that remained now were a few broken walls and pillars, struggling in an endless battle against the desert to remain unburied by the sands.

"I don't think it's that impressive," Navi whispered in Link's ear. "The Gerudo Temple in the Gerudo Desert was way cooler than this." She paused for a moment. "Wow, I just realized how unorigina we are at naming things."

"No kidding!" Link snickered in a low voice. "But I have to agree, a whole temple carved from solid stone in the shape of a giant woman is pretty cool, especially when compared to this."

"I've never seen a place like that, where did you say it was again?" Link nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Kratos' voice coming from right behind him. The mercenary stared down at him with a curious look in his eye. Links mind raced frantically for an answer, not sure how much Kratos had even heard.

"Link!" Raine called from where she stood a short ways off with the others. He blew off Kratos and hightailed over to the Professor, glad to be free of prying questions to which he had no feasible answer.

"What is it, Raine?"

"State the historical significance of these ruins."

Link stared blankly at her, wondering if he could escape back to Kratos. Genis put his hand over his face and let out a groan, knowing, full well, that this was not going to be pleasant. It had been Genis and Lloyd's idea not to tell Raine about Link's lack of education, at least for the time being anyway. Maybe if he just made something up….

"Professor, did you drag us all the way out here for a history lesson?" Lloyd grumbled, much like what he had been doing all day. "I thought we were supposed to be finding the Seal of Fire."

Raine rounded on her student. "Haven't you learned anything these past years? This city was destroyed in a fire thousands of years ago. It is said to have happened when the gate to their shrine of Efreet was opened."

"We're not going to find anything just standing around." Kratos had an irritated look on his face as he stepped up beside Colette. "I suggest we start over there, where that dais is." Kratos gestured deeper into the ruined city where a stone platform surrounded by broken pillars rose up out of the sand. "We can expand our search through the city from there."

As they approached the dais, Link got a sneaking suspicion that a further search would not be necessary. It was set back on the edge of the ruins, huddled in a small niche within the mountains. Most of the pillars that had surrounded it had long since toppled, but even in such a state of disrepair, it still held an air of importance. Link stared at the top of the platform stretching out before him; a large, square gray slab stood out in stark relief against the surrounding brown stones. If this wasn't the most obvious door ever, he didn't know what was.

"Fantastic!" Raine rushed forward dropped to her knees, examining the grey stone slab in front of them. "See this slab covering the entrance? This is polycarbonate, used in the ancient war to defend against magic. Feel its smooth surface! It's wonderful!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed as Raine tittered away to no one in particular about the importance of their current location and other historical nonsense that Link couldn't understand.

"Umm, Genis?" Link asked quizzically as Raine began to rub her face against the stone. "Who's that, and what did she do with the professor?"

Genis stood silent.

"Is she always like this?" Kratos asked.

"..."

"Is she?" Llyod pried.

Genis let out a groan. "Ohh, and I've been trying so hard to hide it, too."

"Well now that we found the door, how do we open it?" Lloyd asked as he stared at the grey stone.

Raine stopped talking to herself and glanced around, seemingly confused at not finding what she was looking for. "There should be a pedestal, an oracle stone, which can be activated by the Chosen. Help me find it."

As Raine and the others took off in search of the oracle stone, Link knelt down in her place. "What do you think Navi? Two?"

The fairy flew close to the stone's surface. "Nah, one should be more than enough; looks pretty flimsy to me."

Link reached into the bomb bag that hung from his belt. As he pulled the bomb out, it grew from the size of a small nut to about the size of his head, the fuse lighting as soon as it came in contact with the outside air. With everyone busy looking for the oracle stone, no one saw him toss the bomb on to the center of the door, nor see him quickly duck behind a broken pillar.

It was just as he was slipping into his hiding place when Colette, with her smiling face and ditzy half-skip half-walk, strode up to the entrance happily calling to Raine, "Maybe I just have to place my hand on the door." And before Link could say anything, that poor innocent girl, oblivious to her surroundings, knelt down and placed her hand on the entrance.

Two things happened that day. One, Link never placed another bomb without warning people, and two, Colette learned how to fly… backwards… about 10 feet.

"Colette! What happened? Are you ok?" Everyone rushed towards where the Chosen lay dazed on her back. She sat up, her face and the front of her clothes smeared with soot, but aside from a few scratches, she seemed unharmed. The most surprising thing however, of all was the big smile on her face.

"Wow! I guess I'm really the Chosen after all!" Colette sat there, clapping her hands together with glee as everyone turned and stared at the gaping hole that lay where the polycarbonate had once been.

* * *

"Watch out," Navi chimed as she circled the skeleton's head. Link leapt forward, swinging his sword overhead and bringing down on his foe, reducing it to a pile of bones. Kratos watched patiently as Link turned to his next opponent, a fire elemental. As always, Navi flew ahead and circled over the enemy before Link moved into strike. Kratos found this way of fighting to be intriguing way of fighting, using their magical bond to focus on Link's attacks against his enemies. As Link worked to dispatch the Elemental, Lloyd was busy fighting a Fire Warrior with Genis' magic for support.

"For a hired mercenary you do surprisingly little." Raine stepped up beside him, her arm around Colette's shoulder as she watched the other three fight, ready to cast a barrier where needed.

"I'm doing research," he replied, giving her a half smile.

"And what have you learned through your 'research'?" Raine asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kratos turned back to the fight. "Link is a skilled swordsman, especially for someone of his age, but he is used to fighting alone and has no experience with fighting in a group. Lloyd is a natural fighter and has great potential but lacks the training he needs. He also needs to stop trying to show off and focus on efficiency. Genis also has great potential, with time and practice he could become a powerful mage."

Raine stood silent for a moment. The fight was over and Lloyd was using the Sorcerer's Ring to light the torch on the wall and finding great amusement in his new found toy. "You can tell all that just by watching them fight a few monsters?" she asked skeptically.

Kratos didn't say anything. He just watched the platform rise into place, completing the path to the final room. He started forward, following the others up the twisting causeway to the teleportation platform.

As they reached the top a loud shriek, the likes of which Kratos had never heard, rang through the halls. "Lizalfos!" Link cried out while drawing his sword, and a second cry sounded from behind them. Kratos turned back the way they came with sword in hand. A six-foot tall lizard on two legs came running up the pathway, carrying a short dagger in its hand. With a cry, the Lizalfos jumped in the air for an aerial strike. Kratos ducked beneath the strike and brought his sword up, running the creature through as it came down upon his blade. As the dead body hit the floor it quickly burst into colored, heatless flames which consumed the body until nothing was left.

More cries echoed through the chamber as two more dropped down from the ceiling above. Link jumped up, releasing a wave of energy from his blade a he spun in rapid circles, killing the beast before it could hit the ground. The second Lizalfos lashed out a Lloyd with a quick slash, which he deflected aside. Colette hurled her chakram at the monster's head but it deftly jumped over both the attack and Lloyd, trying to strike from the rear. As its feet touched the ground, Lloyd spun on his heel and a small burst of mana released from his Exsphere as he brought his sword up against its leathery hide, lifting him and it into the air. In midair, he brought his other sword down upon its shoulder, slamming the creature back down the stone floor and killing it on impact.

"What were those?" Raine asked as she watched the last one burn away to nothing.

"Lizalfos," Navi replied. "Lizard like creatures that wait in ambush and attack by jumping. They always work in pairs."

"Pairs?" Kratos asked in alarm as he scanned the chamber for the last one. The teleporter suddenly blazed to life as the fourth Lizalfos appeared and lunged straight for Colette. Lloyd swung at the creature and missed but Genis' fireball hit dead on, knocking it from the air. Before it could recover its footing, Kratos strode forward and ran his sword through the creature's throat.

"It's strange," Raine mused as the monster burned in front of them. "Most monsters just dissolve back into mana when they die over a short period of time. These burn almost instantly, but release no mana." The last of the flames winked out, leaving not so much as a single ash. "Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"No," Kratos replied in full honesty. In the last four thousand years, he must have seen and killed nearly every type of monster that existed in this word, and these Lizalfos were nowhere on the list. He turned to Link. "You've seen them before?"

"Yeah, I've fought them before back home."

Raine gave a sigh. "We'll worry about this another time. For now let's just do what we came here to do."

Kratos nodded in agreement and stepped onto the teleporter, his arm protectively around the Chosen. As they stepped out into the finally chamber, Kratos felt a wave of unease pass through him. Something was wrong. The air was thick with the presence of mana as if the seal had already been opened. But it was not the mana that troubled him. A strange power, the likes of which he had never felt before, hung heavy in the air. The very feel of it made him uneasy. One by one the others entered the room, and by their uneasy expressions and the way they glanced about the empty room, he knew that they felt it too.

Lloyd stared nervously around the massive chamber. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he slowly drew his swords. A dark presence hung over the room like a fog. Link stood by his side, the golden triangle on his hand blazed so brightly that that it seemed to hum.

Colette gave a started cry as the Cruxis Crystal on her neck came to life. A beam of light shot forth from the Crystal and connected her to the altar as she clutched her neck in pain. Lloyd started towards her, but Kratos stopped him with an outstretched arm.

"Wait," he said calmly, his eyes never wavering from Colette. "This is something she must bear if she is to regenerate the world."

As quickly as it appeared, the beam of light vanished. As it did, fire and light shot forth from the altar, filling the room with a deafening roar.

"It's mana!" Genis called out in astonishment. "Mana is flowing out from the seal."

"Something's coming!" Kratos stepped forward drawing his sword and placing himself defensively in front of the Colette. "Get ready."

His hands tightened around his sword hilt as solid form appeared among the flames. A massive cat-like beast stepped forth from the inferno, the row of spikes along its back trembled as it let out an ear splitting roar, accompanied by a jet of flame.

"W…What is that?" Genis cried out in terror as the beast slowly made its way across the room.

"It's Ktugach, the guardian of the Fire seal," Navi cried out, "It uses fire-based attacks and is weak against water and ice."

"Wait, how do you know that?" Raine demanded.

"Hello! It's my job!" Navi snapped back.

"Enough!" Kratos shouted in irritation. "Link covers the left; Lloyd, the right. Raine, shield us from its fire while Genis and Colette attack from range. Here he comes!" Lloyd moved into position as Ktugach sounded his battle cry and lunged across the room. The battle had begun.

Link ducked beneath the creature's claws as it lashed out furiously at the party. He thrust his sword into the beast's leg then jumped back as it lunged forward with gnashing fangs. Off to his right, Kratos pushed forward, drawing his sword across the side Ktugach's face while Lloyd thrust at its side. The guardian spun with remarkable speed; its tail swung round and caught Lloyd in the shoulder, throwing him into Kratos as the two fell to the ground in a sprawling heap.

Kratos threw Lloyd off of him and dove to the side as Ktugach lunged for a presumably easy target. Kratos sprang to his feet and began raining blows against his opponent, drawing its attention away from Lloyd, who was still getting to his feet. Behind them Genis unleashed an Aqua Edge, sending disks of water into the guardian's face. In a rage, Ktugach pushed past Kratos and went for the elf boy, hurling a fireball straight for him.

Raine stepped in front of her brother, throwing up a barrier and blocking the fiery attack. Link saw an opening and pushed in from the side again; he jumped up and brought his sword down against its rear flank, leaving a bloody gouge in the monster's side. Ktugach rounded on him; the swipe of his claws nearly split his shield in half.

Before Ktugach could land another blow, Colette threw her chakram, the bladed ring catching its target right in the face and taking out one of his eyes. Ktugach flew into a rage, sending a jet of flame straight for the poor girl. Raine threw up a barrier against the attack, but the beast rounded on her instead. Raine cried out as the razor sharp claws left a raking wound across her arm. Genis fired off another spell, pelting the guardian with ice but it did little to deter the beast as it attacked again, knocking the professor to the ground. With that obstacle out of the way, Ktugach turned back to the source of his rage: Colette.

As it went for the chosen, Lloyd lunged for the creature's neck, striking hard with both swords. Ktugach swung his head to the side and knocked Lloyd to the ground as Kratos and Link moved in front, cutting him off. He lashed out at Link, throwing him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him, but Kratos held firm, thwarting any attempt to get to Colette.

With a frustrated roar, Ktugach reared up on its hind legs and hurled a massive fireball straight for Colette. Lloyd screamed out for her to run, but all she could do was throw her arms up in front of her face in terror. With every ounce of his strength, Link push himself to his feet, and at the last second threw himself between Colette and the raging inferno. The impact felt like a Goron punch. He was overwhelmed by the unbearable heat as he was thrown back. He heard Navi scream out his name as he hit the stone floor.

And then everything went black.

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	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7-

The sound of Link's scream still rang in her ears as Raine pushed herself up off the floor. She felt the blood trickle down her right arm as it hung painfully at her side. Doing her best to ignore the injury, Raine scooped up her staff in her left hand and moved to Colette's side. She quickly threw up a barrier, deflecting a jet of flame away from where Colette and Genis knelt over the unmoving boy.

"Get that shield off of him!" she shouted above the roar of the flame. "Quickly, before it burns his arm too badly!"

Without hesitation, Colette grabbed the burning shield and pulled it awkwardly from his grip, burning her own hands in the process.

More fire splayed against the barrier as Ktugach again surged towards Colette. The spell wavered against the onslaught of magic as Raine felt her mana slowly ebbing away. Kratos and Lloyd moved in front of their opponent, trying to push him back, but Ktugach merely knocked Lloyd aside and threw the full weight of its attack against Kratos. The mercenary refused to give any ground however, and matched the attack in kind.

"Kratos! You have to end this!" Raine shouted desperately as more flames licked the barrier. "This shield won't hold much longer, you have to kill it now!"

Kratos glared at her from over his shoulder. "Lloyd, stay back and wait for my signal! Genis, hit it with an Icicle and draw its attention!"

"What?!" her brother asked in alarm.

"Just do it!" Kratos snapped at him.

Genis unleashed the spell, pelting Ktugach with shards of ice. The guardian turned on Genis, rearing up to unleash a fireball. As it rose on its hind legs, Kratos' mana spiked. He drove forward burying his sword in the beast's exposed underbelly. As the sword went in, a bolt of lightning descended from above and pieced Ktugach's back.

Kratos pulled his blade free and jumped back. "Lloyd, now!" Kratos swung his blade along the floor, releasing a shockwave of mana; Lloyd quickly followed suit unleashing his own Demon Fang. As the twin attacks struck home, Ktugach lost its balance and fell backwards, slamming against the floor with a heavy thud. Raine released her hold on the barrier and, with a sigh of relief, dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

Kratos stared down at the dead guardian. Something was definitely wrong. The seal guardians were created to provide battle experience for the Chosen, a challenging fight, but one that could be easily overcome by the temple guards, who normally escorted the Chosen. But the Ktugach had attacked with lethal intent and had relentlessly gone after the Chosen despite his attempts to make it do otherwise. To make matters worse, the strange power still coursed through the air, hinting at some unknown malice. He wondered if the Renegades had a hand in this. Kratos placed the tip of his sword on the floor and leaned on the hilt with an irritated sigh; he had enough problems to worry about without someone interfering with the seals.

He glanced back at the rag-tag group he had to work with. He hadn't traveled with such an incompetent group since he journeyed with Mithos. At least back then they had a goal, a purpose. But now? His purpose had died years ago, and the only spark of hope he had left was oblivious to the truth. Kratos shook his head, knowing that there was no way he could drag Lloyd into this mess. Lloyd was all he had left; even if he doesn't know, if he never knows, the events that occurred in the past. He would have to think of a way of keeping Lloyd from ever reaching the Tower of Salvation. There was always the option of taking the Chosen and going it alone, she would have no objection of sparing Lloyd of the knowledge of her fate. It's not like they could follow him if he used a Rheaird.

As he stood there thinking about how best to go about spiriting away the Chosen, a question popped into his head. At first he dismissed it, but, it continued to return and nagged him in the back of his mind. Why had he insisted on bringing Link with him? Raine had been against it and he should have been as well. He knew absolutely nothing about the kid and yet, something inside him kept telling him that Link was important.

Kratos turned, watching as Lloyd and Genis helped the green clad boy to his feet. He looked a little shaky, but then again, he was lucky to be alive after taking a hit like that. Kratos closed his eyes and turned away with a weighted sigh. Nothing about Link made sense: he had no Exsphere and yet his physical capabilities were far beyond that of a ten-year-old; he had no mana, but could use magic; and of course there was—

Kratos' eyes snapped open, his whole body frozen as the idea took form in his mind. For the first time in years he found a renewed source of hope, of possibility. He turned, staring back at the others again. He would need Lloyd for this to work; or rather he would need Lloyd's ignorance, along with that same devotion and determination that Anna had possessed. The thought of using his own son as a pawn was a little disheartening, but if this worked then maybe, just maybe…

"Umm, Mr. Kratos?"

Kratos started at the sound of Colette's voice. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard her approach. "What is it Chosen?"

Raine walked up and stood beside Colette. "Something's not right. The altar hasn't opened yet."

Kratos frowned as he looked at the seal of fire. Just as Raine had said, the altar remained as it had been when they arrived. His eyes fell upon the body of Ktugach. Something was preventing the guardian's mana from being released. He called for Link to come over as his eyes remained fixed on the body in front of him.

"That mark on your hand," he asked as Link stepped up beside him. "What is it?"

Link covered the glowing triangle with his other hand, seeming unaware that he was even doing so. "It's… It's called the Triforce; or rather, a part of it anyways. The piece I have is called the Triforce of Courage."

Kratos refrained from asking what a Triforce was. "I've seen it glow like that before. Why?"

Link glanced at the floor, unsure of how to answer. "It's a protection… or maybe more of a warning. It does this anytime I need to fight, or if I'm in danger. Especially if…" Link's voice trailed off for a moment. "Anyways, the stronger the glow, the greater the danger."

Kratos looked at the glowing mark on the kid's hand, visible even through the hand that covered it. "It's been pulsing like that since we entered the guardian's chamber." His eyes widened as a cold realization took hold. "Before Colette summoned the guardian."

As if beckoned by his words, a tremor passed through the floor of the chamber, followed by another, then another. The dark energy that coursed through the room began to pulse and move, being drawn towards the altar. The ground lurched violently as a dark vortex formed before the seal. The walls and ceiling wavered and shook as the room appeared to grow larger, almost to double its original size.

"What's going on?" Genis shouted, his knuckles white as they gripped the handle of his kendama. The black maw stretched from floor to ceiling, a swirling gateway into an eternal nothingness. A massive roar sounded from within the portal as Kratos moved back, pushing everyone with him.

An enormous head, like that of a giant iguana emerged from the darkness. Lloyd's jaw dropped as the 20 foot tall creature pulled itself from the vortex, the ground shaking beneath each foot fall. As the end of its tail came through, the portal winked from existence, leaving them alone with the massive stone lizard.

"It's not possible," Link stood wide-eyed. "What's King Dodongo doing in this world?" Kratos had no time to question his words as the creature lurched forward, curling into a huge spiked ball, and rolled straight for them.

"Move!" Kratos grabbed the Chosen's arm and dove to the side as King Dodongo rolled through where they had been standing and slammed into the wall.

Kratos rushed the beast with sword in hand, ignoring Link's shouts for him to wait. As the creature slowly turned from the wall, Kratos brought his sword down against the massive leg. Sparks flew from the tip as the blade slid harmlessly along the stony flesh. He spun to the side to avoid being crushed and brought his sword up against the creature's side, but the effect was the same. In one last attempt, Kratos went for the head. He unleashed his mana as he drove his sword forward in a powerful thrust, but the hard hide refused to give way to his blade.

King Dodongo's jaws gaped wide as it prepared to unleash a jet of flame. Above his head, Kratos saw one of Link's bombs arc through the air and explode within the beast's mouth. With a pained howl, the beast's legs collapsed as he hit the floor in a bone jarring thud.

"It's no use!" Link shouted as King Dodongo tried to get back on its feet. "The bombs stun him, but I don't know how to kill him."

"You've fought him before?" Lloyd asked in shock. "What did you do last time?"

"He fell in a pit of lava and got sealed inside. But I don't think that's going to work this time." King Dodongo rose to his feet and released a wave of fire. Raine threw up a shield long enough for them to get clear, but with her mana nearly depleted it was likely to be one of the last.

"You have to breach its hide," Navi shouted desperatly. "It's the only way to kill him."

"Would magic work?" Genis asked hopefully.

"Yes, but it would have to be a big spell."

"How big?" Kratos pressed. King Dodongo again curled into a ball and rolled in their direction, smashing into the wall on the opposite side of the chamber. "How big!?"

The fairy circled Link's head in frustration. "I don't know." Her high pitched voice seemed to tremble. "I don't understand how your magic works; I can't gauge its strength. All I know is it will have to be big."

Kratos silently wished he could use his angelic powers; Judgment would be more than enough to end this. He mentally scanned his roster of spells, unsure if any would be strong enough to breach the stone body. Kratos closed his eyes and raised his sword, holding it with the blade resting in his left hand as he began channeling.

"Watch out, Kratos!" Colette screamed over a deafening roar. Kratos opened his eyes to see the beast jaws gape wide, ushering forth a stream of flame. Forced to interrupt his casting, Kratos dove to the side, landed on his left hand, and then flipped himself the rest of the way back to his feet. King Dodongo swung his head to the side sending his flame into a sweeping wave across the room.

"Move!" The party broke into a run, the fiery wave nipping at their heels. Ahead of him, he saw Genis trip over a piece of debris and fall on his face. "Don't stop!" Kratos shouted as Raine turned to help her brother. As he ran past, Kratos reached down and snagged the back of the half-elf's, shirt hauling him up and dragging him along as he ran after the others. The stream of fire suddenly cut off as King Dodongo dove forwards, in a massive spiked ball, to crush its foes.

"Back!" Kratos called. He skidded to a halt and moved back the way they had come as the stone lizard rolled right through where they were standing. "We need a distraction." He set Genis down on his feet. "Raine, how much mana do you have left?"

"Maybe enough for one last shield, but that's all."

"Okay, you cover me against his fire. Link, Lloyd and Colette, you three need to distract him long enough for me to channel a spell. I don't care how you do it, just keep him busy."

"What about me?" Genis asked.

"Unless you've got a spell strong enough to take him down, just stay out of the way. I have enough to worry about without babysitting you," he snapped over his shoulder. Kratos raised his sword in front of him again. "Now go you three, before it attacks again."

* * *

Link watched as King Dodongo slowly turned towards them again. "Colette, how accurate are you with your chakram? Do you think you could hit that thing in the eye?"

"I think so," she said, sounding a little unsure.

"Alright. Lloyd, you try and get his attention, when he does, Colette you take out his eye. Got it?" Both nodded. "We only get one shot at this, so let's get it right."

With sword in hand, Lloyd ran straight for the Dodongo's head. Colette moved off to the left as Link took the right. Lloyd struck at the massive head with his swords, sending off showers of sparks with each blow. King Dodongo snapped at him with his huge jaws, but Lloyd deftly jumped clear of the attack. On the far side Link saw Colette spin on her toes and let loose her golden rings; the first skipped harmlessly of the side of its head, but the second landed home.

As the monster let out a pained roar, Link pulled a bomb from the pouch at his belt. "Lloyd, catch!"

As the bomb tumbled through the air, Lloyd dropped his swords and caught the bomb, throwing it into the gaping maw before him. King Dodongo's jaws clamped down on the bomb as it exploded, his legs collapsed beneath him and he fell to the floor with a crash. Before he could recover, Link pulled a deku nut from his belt and threw it at the creature's good eye. The nut exploded with a blinding light causing King Dodongo's body to freeze up in paralysis.

It was up to Kratos now.

* * *

Kratos' eyes popped open, he spun the blade in his hand and thrust towards the sky. "Flame Lance!" he shouted as a burning sword appeared in the air hovering blade down above King Dodongo. With a roar of the flame the sword dropped, the tip slammed into its targets back and stopped. A loud crack resounded through the room as the sword exploded into a ball of smoke and flame; the spell had failed to breach the stone hide.

As king Dodongo struggled to get to its feet Kratos resigned himself to his last option; he would need to use his angelic powers if the Chosen was to survive. He had tried everything else, Mithos would have to understand.

Before he could begin channeling, he felt a surge of mana. He turned his gaze towards the altar at the far side of the chamber where Genis stood alone, the ball of his kendama bouncing rhythmically back and forth. A circle of purple light appeared beneath his feet as his mana level rose to the absolute limit that his body could sustain.

Raine stood wide-eyed beside Kratos. "Genis!? What are you doing?" Her brother looked in their direction for a moment. A tear rolled down his cheek as he mouthed the words 'I'm sorry Raine' before turning back to King Dodongo. Genis' mana level suddenly spiked well beyond what he was capable of wielding as he began to chant.

"I call upon thee in the land of the dead—"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

"—to unleash thy fury of thunder. Indignation!"

Raine tore across the room in wild hysteria. Kratos found himself running after her, but they were too late.

The room fell into complete darkness as a large runed circle of light formed under King Dodongo. Genis let out a blood curling scream as all the mana drained from his body to fuel the spell. A bolt of lightning descended from above and slammed into the ground, tearing a hole through King Dodongo and practically splitting him in half.

As light returned to the room, Genis' suddenly scream cut off; he collapsed to the floor in a heap, his body almost void of mana. Raine dropped to her knees and scooped her brother up in her arms calling desperately for him to answer her. Kratos dropped down beside her and extended his hand, and released his mana, allowing it to flow into Genis' body.

"What are you—"

"I'm giving him some of my mana," he said, cutting her short. "It's a trick an old friend of mine taught me. He should be fine now."

Genis' eyes slid open as he drew a ragged breath. Raine hugged her brother close to her. "What were you thinking? You could have killed yourself."

"I just… I just wanted…. to help." His head lolled to the side as he faded out of consciousness.

Kratos rose to his feet and started walking away. As Lloyd and the others approached he held out his arm, cutting them off. "Let them be," he said, his voice heavy. He watched the bodies of both Ktugach and King Dodongo dissolved before turning to Colette. "Come Chosen, Let's do what we came here to do."

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	8. Chapter 8

-Chapter 8-

Kratos sat alone at the edge of the fire light, watching the others as they sat close to the fire in the cold desert night. Noishe, his only company, lay beside him, his head resting contently in his lap as Kratos idly scratched him between the ears. After Colette had fallen ill, he had suggested letting her rest at the small oasis not far from the ruins. Colette had insisted that she was well enough to travel, but with Genis in the condition he was, she finally conceded. The boy was making a fast recovery—or was good at faking it, at least—and had insisted on cooking for everyone. He would much rather see Genis rest and recover so they could get moving, but he had no objection to a break from Raine's cooking.

He watched as Genis handed out bowls of food to everyone. Colette took the bowl with a smile, but as Genis turned away, her smile faded to a look of sad discomfort. He wondered just how long she planned on keeping her transformation a secret from everyone, or how long she would be able to. After Genis had finished handing out the food, he filled up two more bowls. He stood hesitant for a moment before turning and slowly walking in Kratos' direction.

"Um…Kratos. I…brought you some…uh..." Genis stared at the ground as he held one of the bowls out, nervously tripping over his words. Kratos reached up and took the offered bowl.

"Thanks." He wasn't really in the mood for food, not that it really mattered anyways.

Genis turned to leave, but then stopped. "Kratos, I…" his mouth worked around the words as he tried to bring himself to say what was on his mind. Kratos gestured with his head to the ground beside him. Genis sat, but remained silent as he tried to work up his courage.

"Kratos, I want to apologize for what I did today," he said finally, his eyes never leaving the sand in front of him. "And to thank you for saving my life."

"You should be sorry. Your reckless casting endangered not only your own life, but that of the Chosen and everyone else." Genis' head hung as his shoulders started to shake. Kratos hesitated for a moment and then reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "However, I'm the one whole should apologize to you. In my frustration, I spoke words I shouldn't have."

"I know why you said what you did, and you were right." Genis looked up from the ground, and towards the fire. His gaze seemed focused on Lloyd and Colette. "I'm not very strong with my magic, and I don't want to slow everyone down. I just wanted to help." Genis hung his head again. "I've already caused so much trouble for everyone and that's why… that's why I wanted to ask you if you would help me with my magic."

Kratos was slightly caught off guard by the request. Was it some twisted fate that he would be training amateurs for the rest of his miserable life?

"This is going to be a nuisance." He let out a heavy sigh. "My first priority is the safety of the Chosen and if helping you will make it easier to protect her, then so be it. We will start the day after tomorrow, when you've had a chance to replenish your mana level."

Genis nodded. "Thank you kratos." He got to his feet and, with a weak smile, headed back to the fire.

"Awe! You're such a nice guy, Kratos," a high-pitched voice rang from behind him.

"Do you always eavesdrop on private conversations?" Kratos growled without looking.

Navi flew around in front of him. "I wasn't eavesdropping, I just happened to overhear. Sheesh, would it kill you to smile once in a while? You are like talking to a rock; a scary, one-eyed rock, that makes weird noises if you hit it and explodes…" Kratos stared blankly at her as she continued her non-sensual ramblings. Where did she come up with this stuff? "…and sometimes they fly in the air like a rocket, or they can release fairies in the rain—"

"If you have nothing of value to say, then I have something to ask you," he interrupted.

Navi spun in the air. "If your question is about Link, then save your breath. Raine already asked and I'll tell you the same thing I told her: I'm not talking about Hyrule."

Kratos blinked in confusion. "Hyrule? Who or what is Hyrule?"

Navi let out a squeal of panic, apparently this 'Hyrule' was something he was not supposed to know about. Navi suddenly rounded on him, enraged at her own slip-up. "I have nothing to say to you. If you want to know about Link, then go ask Link!" The fairy turned and started to fly away then stopped. "Oh, and Raine wants to talk to you," she spat, and then flew off in a huff.

Link turned as Navi approached. "What took you so long?" Navi muttered something about being everyone's messenger boy, and then disappeared under his hat. Whatever she and Kratos had talked about had definitely put her in a bad mood.

"You wanted to see me?" Kratos said as he approached. He paused and surveyed the camp. "Where is the Chosen?"

"Colette said she wanted to be alone," Lloyd answered rather disgruntled as he gestured behind him. "I tried to go with her but she said she'd be fine and wanted to go alone."

"You're just mad because you got rejected," Genis teased.

"Shut it, Genis!"

Kratos looked in the direction Lloyd had indicated. "I do not think it wise to leave the Chosen unattended."

"Nor do I," Raine said flatly, "but she will only get upset if we try to follow her."

Kratos stood silent for a moment. "Navi?"

"What do you want?" She screamed from under Link's hat.

"Would you keep an eye on the Chosen for us?"

"Since when did I become your slave?" she screamed back.

"Please," Raine added.

Navi flew out from under Links hat and stared at Kratos for a minute. "Fine!" she snapped, "but I'm starting to miss traveling alone." She then flew off in the direction Colette had gone, griping the whole way out of sight.

"What's wrong with her?" Lloyd asked.

"We had a difference of opinion," Kratos said flatly. "Now what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Raine pulled a rolled up piece of paper out of her bag and placed it on the ground. "I wanted to discuss our next course of action," she said as she unrolled the paper revealing a strange map. Link leaned closer, staring in wonder at the layout of this strange land.

Kratos knelt down beside Raine at tapped an area of the map beside the water. "The port town of Izoold is the only place we'll find a ship." He placed his finger at their current location and began drawing an invisible line. "The Ossa Trail is the easiest way across the mountains. If we skirt the southern edge of the desert then follow the mountains north, we can reach the trail by the day after tomorrow."

"Are we not returning to Triet then?" Genis asked.

"I see no reason to bother," Kratos replied as he got to his feet. "It'll be slower going through the desert, and unless there's a reason to stop there, it will only add unnecessary time to our journey."

"It's just that, Link's shield got incinerated while fighting the guardian. I just thought that maybe he could get another one in Triet."

Link was surprised that anyone had remembered his shield being burnt, especially since he himself had half forgotten about it. "I appreciate you mentioning it, Genis, but there's no need for us to go out of our way just for that. It won't be the first time I've fought without a shield, and I can always find one at the next town."

Kratos nodded towards the north. "Triet is not much of an adventurer's town. I doubt anyone there would sell a small enough shield. Our best bet would be to Palmacosta or maybe Luin."

"Why don't we just make him one?" Lloyd asked.

Raine crossed her arms. "And how would you suggest we do that?"

Lloyd surveyed the camp around him for a moment. "What about this?" He scooped up a pot lid off the ground and held it out like a shield. "It's got a handle and everything!"

Kratos covered his face with his hand and let out a sigh. "Lloyd, a pot lid cannot be used as a shield."

Lloyd scratched the back of his head as he thought for a moment. "Well, what about searching in ruins then? Maybe there's an old one there that he could use."

Raine's eyes suddenly lit up. "Why Lloyd, that's not such a bad idea. Ancient ruins can be full of untold treasure. It's far too dangerous for children to wander such places alone, so I'll go with him."

Genis shook his head. "Raine, you're just going so you can study the ruin." He quickly ducked as Raine's hand swung right where his head had been.

"Nonsense," she snapped as she jumped to her feet. "I just wouldn't want him to get lost or hurt himself." She scooped her staff up and started off towards the temple at a quick walk. "Come on Link! The sooner we go, the sooner we can start the excavation." Before he could even say a word, Raine grabbed him by the back of the shirt and started dragging him off towards the ruins.

* * *

"…and so if you compare these runes to the ones from the entrance, then we should be able to get a pretty accurate translation." Raine beamed as she copied the writing into her notebook. "Isn't this exciting!"

"Riveting," Link moaned as he resumed thumping the back of his head against the wall. He had lost track of the hours they had spent staring at runes or writing or whatever else Raine could find. Why did Genius have to be right?

"Alright, I'm done here. Let's move on to the next one!" Raine grabbed his arm and dragged him further down the hall. Twice he had tried to slip away but each time she just dragged him back, saying they couldn't leave until the checked the whole ruin thoroughly. At the rain they were going, it would take days.

As they reach the end of the hall, Raine stopped in front of another stone tablet. "Look here!" she said as she pulled her notebook out again. "It's that same rune again. Perhaps it's the ancient symbol for Efreet? Or perhaps the guardian? Let's see now, if we cross reference this…"

Link let out a groan as he sat back down on the floor; what he wouldn't give for a monster to kill. Heck he would rather have to put up with Ruto then this. He shuddered at the thought.

Utterly bored, he scooped a couple pebbles up from the ground and started absent-mindedly tossing them at a pile of stones in the corner, an area where part of the wall had come down long ago. As he sat there, listening to Raine drone on his thoughts drifted back to Hyrule, and he wondered if he would ever see it again.

As he threw his last stone, part of the pile gave way and revealed something white buried beneath the rubble. Curious, Link crawled over and began moving stones out of the way. "Hey Raine! I found something!" As Raine came and knelt down beside him, Link brushed a few more stones aside, revealing a skeleton.

"Good work Link!" Raine said excitedly. "You'll make a fine archaeologist yet!"

Link rolled his eyes. "If you say so, but I wonder who it was. Wasn't the door sealed off?"

"It could be one of the previous Chosen," Raine moved some stones and picked up the hilt of a broken sword, "or one of their guards."

Link nodded as he moved some more stones around. Finally he found what he was hoping for as he pulled an old shield out from the bottom of the pile; it was even the same size and shape as the one he had used in Hyrule. The straps on the back were still intact but the surface was black with soot and dirt. As he brushed the years' worth of filth away, he found a herald still decorated the front: a pair of pink wings, joined at the bottom with a golden circlet floating above them. The border was lined with strange markings, the like of which he had never seen

Raine gasped as she saw the shield in his hands. "It can't be! That's the symbol of Spiritua!"

"Who?"

"Spiritua was one of the first Chosen. If it's real, then this shield is a valuable piece of the church's history!" She traced her fingers along the border symbols. "This is angelic writing! Amazing! And to think that it was right here all this time!"

Link frowned. "I don't know who this Spiritua is, but it's a shield and that's all that matters to me." He pulled the shield away from Raine and slipped his arms through the straps, securing it firmly on his back.

Raine's jaw dropped. "You… You can't seriously be thinking of fighting with that! That's a valuable piece of research! It's a priceless piece of history!"

"It was used to protect a past Chosen, right? Then it makes sense to use it to protect Colette. Isn't this the reason we came here?"

"But… But…"

Link turned and broke off in a dead run calling back over his shoulder. "Besides, I'm a firm believer in finders-keepers!"

"Bring back my precious artifact!"

* * *

Navi flitted from tree to tree, grumbling to herself as she searched for Colette, "Stupid Kratos. Who does he think he is anyways?"

As she reached the edge of the oasis she slowed to stop. The sea of sand stretched out endlessly before her. A short ways away was Colette, sitting on a stone and staring out into the empty night. Navi started towards her but stopped as Colette fell into a fit of coughs. Colette held her gut in pain as she coughed over and over again until finally leaning over and retching in the sand. When she had finished she turned and looked directly at Navi, as if she had known she was there the whole time.

"I… I'm sorry," Navi sputtered in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have… I'll go." She turned and started back for the camp.

"Navi…" The fairy stopped, turning back to see Colette had resumed her position on the stone. "You don't have to go. You can stay if… if you want the company."

Navi floated there a second, then flew over and landed on Colette's shoulder. "I think I could use the company," she said softly, "for as long as you like." Colette gave a small smile as she stared out across the dessert, but even as she did, a tear slid down her cheek.

"Promise you won't tell Lloyd, or the others," she said. "I don't want them to worry. Promise me?"

Navi stretched her wing out and brushed the tear from Colette's cheek, "I promise."

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	9. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9-

"So, do we have a deal?" The figure on the monitor stood silently, considering all that had been said. Ganondorf waited patiently, admiring how wondrous this magi-technology truly was. To be able to speak with someone half a world away was remarkable to say the least. And while he had learned to watch and even project his voice to various places in Hyrule using his dark magic, it required vast power and effort. But these strange devices cost him nothing and worked without any effort or power. The thought alone fed his insatiable lust for power.

"You can deliver them to me?" the figure asked cautiously. Ganondorf nodded in reply. "And the gald?"

"Will be delivered to you by my most loyal servant. You shall have it before they arrive, as per the agreement," Ganondorf assured him, smiling inward at the ease of the whole affair.

"What of Lord Yggdrasill?"

Ganondorf waved his hand dismissingly. "He will not be a problem, not anymore."

The figure stood silent again, slowly stroking his lower jaw. "Very well, I accept. But if this goes sour…"

"Who do you think will take the heat?" Ganondorf asked menacingly. "You, who have been loyal for many years? Or me, his recent 'partner' formed out of convenience? I have no doubt you have recorded this message for just such an event."

The figure gave a half smile confirming the suspicion. "See to it that they are brought to me before they can reach Palmacosta, and I will personally destroy the evidence. With my intellect and your power we will be unstoppable. Together, you and I will change history, and even Cruxis will bow before us!"

Ganondorf smiled back with a forced look of sincerity. "Excellent. I will send my servant with the gald and the last of the details. Contact me immediately when the task is done."

Ganondorf pressed the button on the console, ending the transmission. He glared at the now black screen before making his way to the door. "Idiot!" he scoffed to the empty room. "Why must I deal with these incompetent fools?"

"_At least the__y__ are disposable_," a voice echoed through the room. It sounded hollow, like a wind blowing through a cave. "_Men like that are easily replaced_."

"I should have known you'd be here," Ganondorf snapped. "What have you to report?"

"_Your plan has failed. The Chosen and her companions have slain King Dodongo and broken the first seal. They make their way east now_."

"Failed? Ha! You're as foolish as the rest if you think I'd hinge my plans on a mere beast. No, it is all going perfectly. I needed that overgrown lizard to die. Mithos thinks I'm summoning my minions to create a more powerful Chosen. The opening of the Seal of Fire will help convince him that I'm on his side."

"_So you summoned him to die_."

"I summoned King Dodongo for a purpose. Once that purpose was fulfilled, I didn't care what happened to him. As you said, they are disposable and easily replaced. But a Chosen takes years to make, and are not so easily discarded. At least for the time being; but should my plans change, I may even let you have the honor of ending her life."

He turned to leave the room but stopped just short of the door, turned and pointed to the desk where three packages lay. "You are to deliver those to the human ranches as we discussed. If they are late, you may find yourself disposable as well." He then turned and walked from the room. Everything was going according to plan. "Only Mithos stands in my way," he mused to the empty halls. "It's ironic that once again a blonde-haired brat with a sword is all that hinders my plans. The Goddesses have a grand sense of humor."

* * *

Kratos stood silently, staring at the Ossa Trail that lay before him. The high canyon walls quickly narrowed together as the winding path slowly climbed higher into the mountains, eventually breaking free on one side as it rose over the peak and disappeared down the far side. He was glad to finally be out of the desert, but even the cool breeze and shade of the mountains did nothing for his mood.

He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the group. The last few days of traveling had been beyond annoying. The whole mess started when Link came running back to camp with a dusty old shield and Raine charging after him in a mad rage. When Link insisted that he was going to use it, regardless of her protests about protecting valuable artifacts, she lost it and took a swipe at him with her staff. Thinking fast, Link hefted the shield and blocked the blow then gasped mockingly saying Raine may have dented it. This of course only fueled her temper.

Kratos had finally had to step in and remind her that finding a shield was why they went in the first place, and that the Chosen was far more valuable than an ancient metal plate. Raine, with great reluctance, finally backed down but it didn't end. The following day, she followed Link like a vulture, her eyes never leaving him. Link had slipped one arm through each of the straps and wore the shield on his back like a turtle shell. It looked ridiculous on him, covering everything from the nape of his neck down to just below his knees. Though Kratos had been doubtful at first, Link quickly proved that he could use it as effectively as a smaller version by crouching, rolling, and turning at the last second to block and deflect blows with remarkable ease.

It was the night before they would leave the Triet Desert that Raine finally finished translating the writing that circled the border. "It reads 'Knights of Martel, Defenders of the Chosen, Guardians of Regeneration'," she announced to the rest of them. "Based on the writing style I'd say it's over 500 years old. It most likely belonged to a group of knights who were trained specifically to escort the Chosen of that time; some records even claim they were sent by the angels, or by Martel herself." She glared at Link over the top of her note book, though he took no notice to it.

Upon hearing this, Colette became awestruck. She jumped to her feet and declared, "Of course! Link was sent by the Goddess Martel to protect me on this Journey! Oh thank you Goddess, for sending me such a brave knight. Everyone sat there in stunned disbelief, but Link, not missing a heartbeat, suddenly kneeled down before Colette, swearing to protect her in Martel's name. Lloyd immediately jumped in, saying that he would protect her as well, but Colette only smiled. "Thank you Lloyd, but I have Martel's knight to protect me now, and also Mr. Kratos. So you don't have to worry so much." It had taken Genis everything he had to keep from laughing. It took everything Lloyd he had not to rip Link's head off.

And so here they were, Colette clinging to Link, Lloyd and Raine both ready to kill a 10 year old boy, and Genis finding the whole thing rather amusing. But while the company was almost enough to make him take the Chosen and go off alone, he now had more troubling matters to deal with. For the past 2 days he had had the uneasy feeling that they were being followed, and with the narrow pass ahead of them, he could afford to take no chances.

"We've been here for over an hour," Raine said as she stepped up beside him. "How much longer are we going to wait?"

"Until our scout returns," he replied flatly, his eyes never leaving the trail. With his heightened senses he could already hear the sound of her wings as Navi made her way back towards them. It wasn't long before they could all see her, flying fast towards them.

"It's about time," Lloyd griped from where he sat on the grass. Kratos ignored him as Navi flew up, stopping briefly to say something to Link and then coming straight to him.

"Well?"

"I didn't see anyone on the trail," she chimed. "No people or monsters that I could see, but…" She hesitated a moment. "On my way back down I heard something near the entrance. It sounded like a bell."

Kratos frowned as he glanced back towards the mountains again. He knelt down and quickly drew a few lines in the dirt representing the trail. "Where did you hear it?"

Navi hovered in place for a moment the dropped down towards the crude map. "Right here, I think, where the trail is widest," she chimed, quickly circling part of the map. "I looked around but couldn't find the source."

"It may be nothing, but I want everyone to be extra cautious. Chosen, you are to stay close to Raine at all times, is that understood? Link, you bring up the rear." He didn't wait for their replies as he slung his pack over his shoulder and started off.

* * *

Link gazed up at the tower cliffs that rose on both sides of the trail. The road was still level as it cut into the side of the mountain but would soon rise and make its way over the top. It reminded him of his first time ascending Death Mountain; it seemed so long ago now. As he walked along behind the others, he couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on him. And he was not alone—Kratos seemed to be trying to look every direction at once, his head and eyes never stopping. Lloyd's right hand was clenched around his sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice. Even Genis glanced about nervously and Raine kept close to Colette. Only the Chosen seemed not to notice as she walked quietly, her head slightly hung.

As Link was watching her, her head suddenly snapped upright and she turned to look behind her. A puzzled look crossed her face as she stared past him and back down the trail for a moment before she returned to looking ahead. Link glanced over his shoulder in the direction she had looked but saw nothing. The trail was mostly just loose stone, here and there a patch of tall grass or twisted shrub grew, but nothing large enough to hide a person.

As he turned his gaze back to the trail ahead, he heard it. A faint sound, barely audible about the crunching of their boots on the stone: the sound of a tiny bell. Colette turned and looked back again, and that was all the confirmation he needed. Before he even heard Navi's warning, his sword was clear of its scabbard. As he spun to face the sound, he heard the rustle of leaves and a small creature burst from a clump of grass and tore across the ground towards him. It was moving too fast to see what it was. Behind him he could hear Kratos shouting to protect Colette, but it wasn't aiming for Colette; it was coming straight at him. As it closed the distance, the creature suddenly leapt into the air. Link dropped into a crouch and rolled his shoulder forward, bringing his shield to bear. He felt the thud as it careened off the steel surface. Link burst out of the defensive stance and brought his sword up in a swift arc. The tip of the blade whistled from the speed, but it wasn't fast enough. The small animal sped away from him towards the opposite side of the canyon, too fast for even Navi to follow. It darted behind a small rock, vanishing from sight with Navi flying closely behind it.

"It's gone!" she cried, reappearing. The stone was barely the size of Link's head, not nearly big enough for whatever it was to hide behind.

"Behind us!" Link turned at the sound of Raine's voice to see several small white objects hurling straight towards them. He dove to the side as one sailed through where he had just been. Kratos grabbed one of Lloyd's scarves and pulled him over as two more barely missed them. Raine threw up a protective barrier around Colette, Genis, and herself. The small objects exploded as the struck the shield and ground, the sound reverberating through the canyon in a deafening echo.

"Up there!" Lloyd shouted pointing to the wall. On a small, high ledge covered with tall grass, Link caught sight of color and movement. He pulled out his boomerang and hurled it as hard as he could. From the corner of his eye he saw Genis twist his kendama around and snag the ball on the top spike. A bolt of lightning dropped from the clear sky and slammed into the ledge, reducing half of it to falling debris. The boomerang was only a second behind.

As the spinning weapon sliced through the grass, a figure leapt from the ledge and landed gracefully on the ground in front of them. Link was surprised to see it was a woman, about the same height as Lloyd with black hair. She was wearing what almost looked like a purple tunic but with a low neckline. The sash around her waist was tied in the back with a bow with ends that almost reached the ground.

"I almost had you," she said, almost casually. "But I suppose it was too much to ask for the Chosen to die so easily."

"You tried to kill Colette?" Lloyd shouted, swords in hand and poised for battle. "Why?"

"That's none of your concern," she replied coldly. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled out what looked like pieces of paper with writing on them. "But to protect my world, the Chosen of Regeneration must die."

With lightning speed, she threw one of the cards at Colette. Raine brought up a shield, blocking the attack. To Link's surprise, the piece of paper exploded as it struck the barrier. He had never seen anything like it before. Kratos was not distracted, though, and dove at the assassin; his sword making a wide sweep at her midsection. She nimbly dodged his slash and hurled another card at him. Kratos brought up his sword defensively, but this time it didn't explode—rather, it burst in a cloud of black smoke.

Lloyd rushed past Kratos and assailed their opponent with rapid swings from his two swords, but the assassin twisted, ducked, and dodged every attack with ease. Lloyd brought his sword around and unleashed a shockwave across the ground. The assassin back-flipped over the attack and fired a card in midair. It struck Lloyd in the chest and burst, throwing Lloyd back.

Seeing an opening, Link tore towards the woman at top speed with Navi flying ahead. She saw him coming and turned, throwing one of the explosive cards his way. At the last second, he dropped into a roll and caught the attack on his shield. There was only a moment's delay, but it was all he needed. The forward momentum pulled the card to the ground with the shield, and him, on top of it. The explosion painfully launched him forward and into the air. The assassin was now the one caught off guard as he came down, sword overhead for the killing blow. But he again caught only air as she leapt back, just barely clearing the short blade. Link twisted and brought his sword around in a circle, releasing his magic in a shockwave. The blade missed her by a good foot, but the spin-attack hit home, striking her across the waist and knocking her back against the canyon wall. Kratos was immediately there, driving towards her with a deathly thrust. She spun out of the way and his sword hit the wall with enough force to send fist-sized stone fragments in every direction. But she had not been fast enough this time. As Link got to his feet, he saw a tear on her shoulder and blood slowly trickling down her arm. She tried to make a move to circle Kratos, but Lloyd cut her off, bringing his swords up in an impressive vertical arc that forced her back towards the wall.

"Enough of this!" She pulled a card from the neck of her shirt; this one larger and more heavily decorated then the others. She threw it at Kratos, but before it could hit him it stopped in midair and turned upright. The assassin muttered some words under her breath and the card began to glow. It erupted with a blinding flash of light and a terrible roar. Where the card had been now floated a massive bird-like monster. Instead on wings it had long clawed arms covered in feathers.

"A Guardian?" Kratos asked to no one in particular.

"Take care of them!" The assassin shouted before throwing one of the smoke cards at her feet and vanishing from sight. The Guardian lunged towards Lloyd and Kratos with its massive arms. Lloyd tried to block the assault with his swords, but the blow knocked him back, sending one of the blades flying. The Guardian lunged in a wild frenzy, pushing Kratos and Lloyd onto the defensive.

"Behind you!" Navi's voice chimed in his ear. Link turned and dove to the side as another card fired in his direction. Two more exploded against the ground near Colette and Raine as the assassin appeared behind them. Colette screamed as the blast sent showers of rock and dirt in their direction, blocking their sight of her, but also giving Genis the opening he needed. The young elf unleashed his spell as three fireballs hurdled in the assassin's direction. She dove out of the way as they whistled past her, slamming into the canyon wall with deafening blasts. Link rushed towards her again and lunged at her with his sword, but he was still too slow. She jumped over his blade and landed with her feet on his shielded back. Using him as a springboard, she kicked off into the air, pushing him face first into the ground. Yet before she could try an aerial assault on the Chosen, Link rolled over and hurled his boomerang. It arced through the air and caught the woman on the side of the head, knocking her from the air.

The assassin hit the ground hard and rolled twice before coming to a stop with a groan. At first she didn't move at all but then suddenly her arm whipped out, sending a wave of cards in Colette's direction. The explosion was too much and Link heard Raine cry out as the barrier shattered beneath the onslaught. Lloyd shouted out and tried to get to where Colette had been, but the Guardian batted him aside. Link painfully got to his feet but before he could make a move, a golden ring shot from the smoke and just barely caught the assassin on the side of the waist.

"Leave them alone!" Colette's voice cried out as she burst from the smoke, deftly catching her chakram as she lunged at her attacker. Wings spread and hovering above the ground, Colette unleashed a whirlwind of attacks upon the other woman, spinning and throwing her twin weapons in a clumsy sort of way. The assassin dodged the onslaught and spun, kicking Colette in the middle and knocking her back. The Chosen got to her feet as the assassin lunged for her—Link tried to rush to her defense, but she was too far and the assassin too close. As Colette saw her closing in, she took a step back, her foot catching on something, and she tripped and fell. Link heard a metallic clang followed by the assassin's scream as she dropped out of sight. The guardian suddenly let out a terrible howl as it stopped fighting and held its head in pain. With one last terrible roar, its entire body faded away in a flare of bright light.

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	10. Chapter 10

-Chapter 10-

Lloyd pushed himself painfully up from the ground. Both his swords were now out of reach but he didn't care; he had to protect Colette, even if it was with his bare hands. As he got to his feet he heard a scream; he looked over to see Colette lying on her back, but the assassin was nowhere to be seen. The guardian suddenly let out a cry and began thrashing about blindly. Clutching its head as if it were in pain, it screamed out once more and began to fade away until it completely vanished from sight.

Lloyd rushed to Colette, but came to a skidding halt mere inches from a gaping hole in the ground at Colette's feet. The hole was perfectly square and looking down, he could see the twin metal doors which had covered it before now. Raine, Genis, and Link came up beside him as Lloyd skirted the hole to help Colette up.

"Oh no! I did it again," Colette whined as she tried to stand, but her boot was caught on a rusted lever. Lloyd helped free her and tried to move her away from the pit, worried that she herself would fall in next, but she pulled away from him and got down on her hands and knees to stare down the hole. "Oh, I hope she's alright!"

"What?" Link exclaimed. "You're worried about the assassin? Why?"

Colette looked up at him with a confused look on her face. "Because she might have been hurt."

"But she tried to kill you!"

Genius knelt down beside the hole and looked down "Even assuming her weight to be 45kg, and this hole to be 10 meters deep, and calculating the gravity constant at 9.8 meters per seconds squared, the impact shouldn't have been fatal."

Lloyd glanced down the hole, unable to see more than a few feet down. "Gravity…constant?" He scratched the side of his head. "I don't understand what you just said, but she's alive, right?"

"Probably."

"Well that's easy to fix," Link said as he reached into the pouch which held his bombs. "May want to step back."

"NO!" Colette rushed to him and grabbed his arm, pulling it away from the pouch. "Don't kill her!"

"What? Why not?" Lloyd asked. "After all, she did just try to kill us."

"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding," Colette said, looking a little upset. "I'm sure if I could just talk to her, we could become friends."

Link looked up at Colette in confusion. "She tried to kill you, and you want to become her friend? If we let her live, she will likely try again, and next time you may not be so lucky!"

Kratos stepped up beside Link. "While I may agree with you, we must respect the wishes of the Chosen. This is her journey after all."

"And if she's wrong?" Link asked, becoming slightly annoyed.

"Then, it shall be the Chosen who bears that burden." His eyes turned and focused on Colette, letting the weight of his words strike home. She nodded slightly but said nothing.

"Besides," Raine added as she inspected the trap door, "this appears to be a maintenance tunnel to a mine. Setting off an explosion could collapse the whole tunnel, possibly even this side of the trail. We could just as easily kill ourselves as well as the assassin."

Link shook his head as he turned away. Kratos placed his hand on Colette's shoulder. "We should continue on. The more distance we put between ourselves and the assassin, the safer we will be." Kratos turned and started up the trail. "If we make good time, we should reach the village of Izoold by nightfall."

"Shouldn't we at least try to figure out who she was?" Lloyd asked. "She could be working with the Desians."

"Perhaps," Kratos replied without looking back. "But I doubt she would be willing to tell us that, even if we did find another way down there. We are better off putting as much distance between us as possible, and preparing ourselves against any future attempts." Without another word Kratos once again set off up the trail, Colette following behind him.

* * *

The top of the trail offered an extensive view both to the East and the West of the mountains. While most people would find it breathtaking, Raine gave a silent groan at the sight of the sea stretching out ahead of them. She had been dreading this part of the journey since Remiel had spoken in the Triet ruins, and now it was within sight. Taking her eyes away from the impending dread she saw Link standing a ways back staring down the way they had come, a look of pained frustration on his face.

"You disapprove with Colette's decision?" she asked as she stepped up beside him, staring down at the mouth of the trail. Link said nothing, but continued to gaze into the distance.

"She has a difficult task before her," Raine continued. "She alone must bear what lies ahead. The fate of the world rests on her shoulders, and it is because of her kind heart and caring nature that she is able to carry it."

"And if the assassin returns and succeeds?"

"Then we do our best to protect her and hope that her trust has not been misplaced." Raine crossed her arms and sighed deeply. "Though I fear Colette has made a mistake today, I do not fault her for being kind. I do worry, however, that the world may suffer because of it."

"And what happens if Colette should fail?"

Raine raised her eyebrow at the question. "You act as though no Chosen has ever died before. The Church of Martel will send out another who is of the mana lineage in the event that Colette should fail. The last Chosen was killed before the journey could even begin. But it could take years and the mana levels will continue to drop, causing irreversible damage to this world."

Link turned towards her. "You mentioned other Chosen before; how many have times has this journey been repeated?"

It was now Raine's turn to look confused. "There have been many Chosen, stretching all the way back to the hero Mithos. Not every Chosen goes on the Journey of Regeneration, of course; that only occurs when mana becomes depleted by the return of the designs."

"So this journey, it's only a temporary fix then? One that has been repeated before?"

"You could say that," Raine said. "If Colette succeeds, the Desians will be sealed away, and mana will return to the world. In time though the seal will weaken, and the Desians will return, and the cycle will repeat itself."

"Why not just destroy the Desians then?"

Raine frowned "How is it you can know less about history the Lloyd? It has been attempted before, and always ended in failure. The Desians have far more advanced technology then the humans and, being half-elves, can also use magic."

Link didn't say anything; he just turned to stare out into the distance again, seemingly lost in thought. A hundred questions burned in her mind as she stood beside him. It seemed the more she learned about the boy, the more questions it raised. But she had promised Kratos not to push the issue for the time being; a promise that was becoming difficult to keep. To compound the matter, the assassin had struck something in her memory. Something about her clothes nagged at the back of her mind, but she couldn't place it.

"I want to ask you a question Link. The assassin: did you… recognize her at all? Did anything about her seem familiar to you?"

Link shook his head. "No. Should I have?"

"No, it's not important. Anyways, we should hurry and catch up with the others before they get too far ahead."

* * *

"What do you mean there's no ships sailing?"

The dock master eyed Kratos a moment before going back to coiling the massive length of rope in his hands. "Exactly what I said: there're no ships going to Palmacosta, or anywhere else for that matter."

Kratos felt his hand tightening around the hint of his sword in frustration. He relaxed his fingers and tried to maintain his composure. "How can there be no ships at all? The monsters can't be so bad as to bar all sea travel."

"Monsters?" The dock master laughed. "If it were just monsters, I'd say wait for a Palmacosta patrol ship to take you. It's those damned Desians from the Island Human Ranch."

"The Desians are attacking the ships?"

"That's right, started about three days ago. They've been attacking every ship to enter or leave this area. They take all the passengers and sink the ships. Only one to make it through was that Palamcosta warship, and she sure took a beating trying to get away. No one's tried since. Take my advice stranger; stay put and hope the Chosen takes care of all those blasted Desians."

"Thank you for your time," Kratos said as he turned and made his way back to the inn. "Rodyle," he muttered under his breath. "What are you up to this time?" Mithos had given explicit orders to the Grand Cardinals that they were not to interfere with the Chosen's journey. Sylvarant's mana levels were becoming dangerously low; losing the Chosen now could have dire repercussions on the world.

Kratos found everyone in the room they had rented in the inn, the five of them were sitting around the small table; the smell of Genis' cooking filled the room. Closing the door behind him, Kratos leaned his shoulder against the wall with a heavy sigh. "There are no ships sailing right now. The Desians are blocking the sea routes."

Raine gave a small sigh, though he couldn't tell if it was irritation or relief. Lloyd got to his feet and planted his fists on the table. "The angel said the next seal was across the sea. How can Colette regenerate the world if we can't get to the seals?"

"There may be another way," Raine said as she grabbed her bag. Genis quickly cleared the table off as Raine unrolled her map across the table. "Here," she said drawing a line with her finger. "We can travel by land north to the village of Hima. From there we can go to Luin." She tapped the town marked on the map. "There is a church there as well as a holy site nearby. The priests may have some insight into the location of another seal."

"Problem solved," Lloyd said, crossing his arms. "As long as the way isn't also blocked by desians."

"Not quite," Raine replied, leaning back from the map. "Heading by land presents a new problem: finances."

"Fie-whats-es?" Link asked.

"Money," Genis replied.

"Yes," Raine said as she dug through her pack again. "While the church in Iselia gave us what funds they could, we had only planned on having a group of three. I had hoped to appeal to the Cathedral of Martel in Palmacosa for addition funds, but that won't be possible anymore." Raine pulled a small coin purse from her bag and set it on the table. "This is all we have left."

Kratos watched silently as Lloyd and Genis added what few coins they each had to the table. All told, it might get them to Luin if they rationed their food carefully. Link, however, still looked confused as he stared at the gold coins on the table.

"And what are these for exactly?" he asked as he picked up one of the coins, looking it over curiously.

"Umm, you buy stuff with them, like food and supplies," Lloyd replied sarcastically.

"Oh?" Link eyed the coin with a strange fascination. "What an odd thing to use." He unhooked one of his pouches and dropped it on the table. It landed with a heavy thud and a sound almost like clinking glass. "Here you go. Maybe you can find someone in this wor- err place, who will trade for these."

Raine opened the bag and emptied its contents on the table. The sight made even Kratos' jaw drop as hundreds of small crystalline gems fell from the bag in a mound. Everyone sat gaping at the red, blue, and green gems as the glittered in candle light they were all cut the same, each about the size of a thumbnail, and slightly elongated.

"Where did you get these?" Raine asked as she picked up one of the green gems.

"All over the place," Link said casually. "Sorry I don't have more, but that's all I could fit in the bag."

"More? Do you have any idea how much these could be worth?" Kratos asked, examining a few in his hand. "There's enough here to travel the world in luxury five times over."

"If you say so," Link shook his head in disbelief. "They're mostly green, but if it'll help, you can have them."

"Are you sure Link?" Genis asked. "You may never see this much money again!"

Link laughed as if Genis had just said something funny. "It's fine, I can always get more when I get back home." Link's laughter died as his face took on a look of forlorn. He picked up one of the gems and rolled it between his thumb and finger. "I… need some air," he said quietly as he got up from the table and went outside into the growing dusk.

* * *

Lloyd pulled up his sword just in time to block the blade as it swept at his midsection; the impact of steel on steel sent vibrations right down his arm. His opponent lunged again, bringing his sword down to cleave him in two, and Lloyd crossed his blades in front of him, catching the sword. He pushed the attack back, but another came just as fast, then another, and another. Lloyd was pushed on the defensive, barely blocking the onslaught of attacks, the ring of steel drowning everything else out. A quick slash from the left caught his sword at the hilt; the impact twisted his wrist, wrenching the sword from his grasp. He felt a heavy impact in his chest and was knocked backwards. His back crashed into the ground, knocking the wind from him. Before he could recover he felt the cold sharp edge of a sword press against his neck.

"You're still not listening, Lloyd," Kratos said as he withdrew his blade. "Deflect the blows in order to save your energy, and watch for the openings. I gave you three opportunities to counter, and you missed them all."

Kratos picked up the stray sword and tossed to him. Lloyd caught the hilt in midair; giving the blade a quick spin with his wrist to try and loosen himself up. Kratos however didn't attack right away; instead, he walked to where Genis stood. "Are you ready?" Kratos asked him as he stepped up beside him.

"I think so," Genis answered, sounding a little nervous. "Are you sure I'm ready for this?"

Kratos nodded then looked to Raine standing a short ways off. "Ready?"

Raine twisted her staff in her hand, surrounding herself with a magic shield. Genis began bouncing the ball of his Kendama as he muttered the incantation. With a flick of his wrist, he snagged the ball on the top spike. The air above the professor turned red as a circle with magic writing appeared in the air. With a massive roar, a flaming sword dropped from the sky and slammed into Raine's shield, erupting into a fiery explosion on impact.

Before the fire had even faded, Genis was already channeling again. This time a powerful jet of water erupted in front of Genis. It tore across the ground towards Raine, slamming into the shield like a hammer. With the casting complete, Genis bent over, hands on his knees and panting.

"That was amazing!" Colette said excitedly.

"Well done," Kratos said. "Perfectly executed. Work on memorizing the incantations so that you know them by heart." Genis nodded at him as he and Raine went back to their books to discuss more magic.

Kratos came back to stand in front of Lloyd. "Let us continue." Kratos drew his sword and poised himself for combat. "This time I want you to attack."

Lloyd let out a quiet groan. He and Kratos had been sparring with him all morning and not once had he gained the upper hand. It seemed like every time he started to improve, Kratos also got a little stronger or faster, like he was constantly holding back, toying with him. "Couldn't I train with Link for a change? It's not like he's doing anything anyways."

Link sat a short ways away with his back against a tree and his hat pulled low over his eyes. He lifted the rim of his hat and glanced in Lloyd's direction with a knowing smirk on his face. "If you really want to." He jumped to his feet and adjusted his belt as he took his place in front of him. Kratos leaned over and spoke something in his ear and Link nodded knowingly.

Lloyd raised his swords, but Link didn't move. He stood silently, his thumbs tucked behind his belt, patiently waiting for something.

"Hey!" Lloyd jumped at the voice behind him. He turned his head to see Navi floating just over his shoulder. "Watch out!" she chimed. Lloyd spun back towards Link, but something hard struck him square in the forehead. Lloyd dropped his swords as he grabbed his head in pain as Genis burst out laughing. He looked up and saw Link holding his slingshot. "Gottcha." He smiled.

"That's not fair!" Lloyd shouted angrily.

Link gave him a mischievous grin. "There's no such thing as fair when fighting," he said as he loaded another shot. "All that matters is that you win."

Lloyd ducked as the shot passed through where his head had been. He snatched up his swords and dove at Link. To his surprise Link rushed straight at him, his sword still in its sheath. Lloyd swung his blade but Link dropped into a roll and the blade passed harmlessly over him. Lloyd turned as Link sprung up, sword in hand. Lloyd swung at him again, but Link dropped into a crouch, deflecting the blow with his shield, and then slapped Lloyd painfully on the leg with the flat side of his sword.

"Gottcha again."

Llyod stumbled back in surprise then quickly twisted his blade around, sending a Demon Fang at his opponent. Link deftly avoided the attack by jumping to the side which only made Lloyd angrier. He unleashed second and then a third, but Link easily avoided both. Link abruptly drew his boomerang and threw it straight at Lloyd. He threw up his blades in defense and deflected the ranged attack, but as he did, Link suddenly dashed forward and again dropped into a roll. This time he ran right into Lloyd, striking him on the leg with his shield and knocking him off his feet. As Lloyd hit the ground, Link spun and tapped him on the chest with his sword.

"Three times for the win."

Lloyd got to his feet and lunged, but something caught his arm. He turned and saw Kratos, his hand locked firmly around his wrist. "That's enough."

Lloyd looked over to see Link was already sitting back under the tree, his hat pulled down and arms crossed behind his head. With a frustrated huff, Lloyd pulled his arm away from Kratos and sheathed his blades.

Colette clapped her hands excitedly. "Wow! Link's really good, isn't he?" Lloyd felt his fists tighten to the point it was hurting his hands.

"If Link's such a great warrior then why does he have to fight dirty to win?" Lloyd snapped.

Everyone looked up at him. "There was nothing unfair about the fight," Kratos replied bluntly. "He simply used a tactic you are not familiar with. If you think it unfair, then you learned nothing from the lesson."

"What lesson?"

Kratos crossed his arms. "That your opponents will not always fight by your rules. Monsters, Desians, even the assassin we fought earlier, they will attack with one goal in mind: to kill. And if you think they will stop to apologize for not fighting 'fair', then you are not going to survive long."

"You think I don't know that?" Lloyd snapped back. "You think I've never fought monsters or Desians before? I know they won't fight fair, I know they'll do anything to win…"

"Then why are you getting so worked up?" Raine asked without looking up her book.

Lloyd opened his mouth but nothing came out. He had no answer. He had no reason to be so angry and yet, he was. He stood silent for a moment then turned and slowly walked away. "I need a minute."

He walked until he was out of earshot of the others. Slumped against a tree, he tried to clear his head while his temper cooled. Why was he getting so angry of late? Dirk had taught him to behave better than this. 'Mistakes get made when people get mad,' he had always told him when he would get frustrated over a craft piece that wasn't turning out right. Sure he had gotten mad before, but he always did his best to keep it in check. Why was today so different?

He had wanted to duel with Link, he had asked to. And Link was only trying to help him improve. The thought of the fight made his temper flare. Colette had praised Link's skill and yet he had been practicing hard all morning. He slammed his fist against the tree in frustration. "What makes you so damn special?"

"I doubt it's the trees fault." Lloyd jumped at the sound of Kratos' voice. He spun to find Kratos standing patiently behind him, arms crossed. "Getting mad and walking away won't solve anything. You need to face your problems."

"What would you know?"

Kratos said nothing. The two stood staring at each other through the awkward silence. Finally Kratos turned and started to leave.

"I just don't understand why everyone is so impressed with him." Lloyd slammed his fist against the tree again as Kratos slowed to a halt. "You, the professor, Colette—you all act like he's some great swordsman or something."

"You don't think he has skill?" Kratos asked over his shoulder.

"I know he's skilled, but… he's ten! He's younger than Genis!"

"And?" Kratos asked turning back to face him. "Your age does not define your ability…"

"I've been practicing for years fighting monsters outside of Isealia. And yet I'm still not as strong as a ten-year-old."

"Then stop trying to be." Kratos stepped forward and placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "You will never be Link; nor will you ever be me, or Raine, or the Chosen. So stop trying to be. Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on your own strengths, learn to overcome your own weaknesses, and stop holding yourself back. Then you will become stronger. Not stronger than someone else," Kratos thrust a single finger into Lloyd's chest, "but stronger than yourself." Without another word, Kratos turned and headed back to the camp, leaving him alone again.

Lloyd stood silent, listening to the sounds of the forest as he thought over what Kratos had said to him. "Dwarven vow number four," he muttered aloud to himself. "Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs." Lloyd let out a heavy sigh as he started his way back towards the others. "Maybe he's right." As he walked an uneasy feeling began to wash over him; as if someone was watching him. His eyes darted around at the shadows and he strained his ears listening for anything out of the ordinary, but he heard nothing.

Lloyd suddenly froze in place. He heard nothing: no birds, no crickets, not even a gust of wind rustling the leaves. The forest was deathly silent. He felt a chill run up his spine and he broke into a run. He burst into clearing where they had made camp, panting hard. His sword was in his hand, but he couldn't remember drawing it. Kratos and Raine looked up at him in confusion. "Something's wrong!" He managed to blurt out. Kratos immediately jumped to his feet, his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword as he surveyed the surrounding trees. Raine slowly picked up her staff as she looked around cautiously from where she knelt.

Lloyd suddenly heard the sound of a sword being drawn. Time seemed to slow as he turned and saw Link, sword in hand, running at full speed towards Genis. The triangle on the back of his hand flared with golden light, his eyes were wild with rage. Lloyd cried out to Genis as he broke into a run; Genis turned just as it looked like he would be run through. At the last second, Link twisted his body and slammed into the young elf with his shoulder.

As the two came crashing down, Lloyd saw the shadows behind them twist and move, as if they were alive. He heard the ring of steel against steel as something black slammed into Link, knocking him off of Genis. Link and his attacker rolled across the ground until he managed to separate himself, throwing his attacker off and jumping to his feet. Lloyd skidded to a halt beside Genis, who was clutching his chest and coughing from the impact. As Raine rushed in beside him, Lloyd looked up towards the intruder. His jaw dropped.

As the black figure rose to his feet, Lloyd could see what, or rather who, it was. He wore a long hat with an oversized shield strapped to his back, and a sword in his left hand. He could see right through him, as if he was made of smoke, and there were no clear feature beyond the outline, but there could be no doubt.

Link stood silent, staring at his own shadow. The mere seconds felt like hours as Lloyd stared in disbelief. Suddenly the two lunged at each other, twin blades clashed in perfect unison as the two began dancing around each other. Each attack was perfectly matched, each strike equally countered.

"Lloyd!" Kratos called as he drew his sword and lunged towards the fight. Lloyd followed behind as Kratos entered the fray, swinging his sword a sweeping arc. Link jumped clear as the blade passed through the middle of the fight. Shadow Link tried to mimic the maneuver but failed as Kratos' blade swept through him. The moment the blade touched him the shadow dissolved, sinking into the ground like water. Immediately Navi burst out from under Link's hat and darted straight for Lloyd. "Watch out!"

Lloyd spun, bringing his blade up defensively as Shadow Link appeared out of nowhere. The short, black sword collided with his own; Lloyd pushed his opponent back and unleashed a shockwave, but Shadow Link ducked to the side and lunged again. Lloyd blocked the attack and countered with his other blade. To his surprise, Shadow Link tried to mimic the move with his empty hand. The sword swept through him and he again dissolved into the ground.

"Here!" Navi chimed darting to the side. Link dove forward as Shadow Link rose up out of the shadow of a nearby tree. As the two locked blades again, Kratos stretched out his hand; a bold of lightning dropped from the sky, hammering the ground as Shadow Link dove out of the way. He got to his feet and tried to make a lunge for Genis and Raine, but Link blocked his path.

"Stop this!" Colette screamed as she rushed forward. The wings on her back unfurled as she rose into the air. "Holy Wings, I beg of thee to reveal thy glory. Angel Feathers!" The chakram flew forth from her hands, each one splitting in two as they ignited with angelic power. Shadow Link screamed in pain as the four blades slashed through him. As he writhed in pain, Link lunged forward and ran him through as he again dissolved into the ground.

"_So it would seem the Chosen has access to Holy Magic after all. Interesting."_ The voice sounded hollow, like an echo heard from far away. It seemed to come from all around them, with no clear point of origin. "_My Master suspected as much."_

"Master?" Link called out. "You mean Ganondorf, don't you? Why would he care about the Chosen?"

"_Yes, my Master has taken a great interest in the Chosen of Regeneration."_

"So your another assassin is trying to kill Colette?" Lloyd demanded

"_Ignorant Chosen was never my target. If I had wanted to kill the Chosen, do you think I'd have wasted my time attacking that pathetic brat? No, my Master, the great Ganondorf, has other plans for her. He has much riding on her success, and I would not ruin his plans by killing her here."_

"Lies!" Link shouted. "If Ganondorf is so keen on seeing Colette succeed, why summon King Dodongo in Triet? Why ambush us here?"

A haunting laughter passed through the trees around them. "_This had nothing to do with his plans. It was personal. I tried to kill the brat, because I knew it would hurt YOU!"_ The look of rage vanished from Link's eyes. His sword fell from his hands as he stood numb, the taunting laughter echoing around him.

"You… You tried to kill Genis … to get to me?"

"_Lord Ganondorf has forbid me from ending your life, for the moment, so I figured I'd find another way to hurt you."_ Link sank to his knees as the haunting laughter again swept through the forest.

"How could you do such a thing?" Colette cried out. "Would you really kill someone just to hurt another?"

"_And why not?"_ the voice taunted. "_To be honest, I think your death would hurt him the most. I wonder how it would feel to know you failed to save the world twice? How many people would die this time?_"

"What do you mean 'save the world'?" Lloyd asked.

"W_hat's this? Could it be you've not told them who you are? How the great Hero of Time let the world burn for seven years? Tell me Link, how many people died while you slept?_"

A dead silence hung in the air as everyone stared at the young boy kneeling alone on the ground. "_Well I guess doesn't matter anymore,"_ Shadow Link taunted. "_And while I'd love to stay and chat, I have business in Asgard, and I mustn't keep my Master waiting. The next time we meet, Link, you will die!" _

The forest was once again silent as everyone stood around in stunned disbelief. "Kratos, I need a word with you," Raine snapped suddenly. "Now!"

As the two went off to speak privately, Genis slowly walked up to Link. "Link? Are you ok?"

He said nothing, but continued to stare at the ground in silence. Genis knelt down beside him. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was," he whispered half to himself. "All of it was."

Genis looked up as Raine came storming back. She shot a warning look at Kratos, then snatched up her bag and started off.

"We make our way to Hima," Kratos said flatly. "No stopping until we get there and no one goes off alone. Now get your things, we're leaving."

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	11. Chapter 11

**Navi: Hey! I have a bone to pick with you!  
Me: Ugh, what now?  
Navi: So I finally started playing the game like you said, and your story is WAY off.  
Me: Well I changed a few things, but I though...  
Navi: It's not even close! You're missing main charactors, the locations are out of order..  
Me: uhhh...  
Navi: And why are we following Lloyd? He's the bad guy!  
ME: What game are you playing?  
Navi:Tales of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World  
Me: ... Thats the SECOND game, I'm doing the first one!  
Navi: Wait! Theres two? ... Does that mean no Emil?  
Me: No Emil.  
Navi: ... I hate this story.**

**(That conversation actually happened)**

The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon as the group made its way up the mountain trail into Hima. They hadn't stopped all day, just as Kratos had instructed, and he had pushed them on at a steady pace so as to reach the town before nightfall. The journey would not have been so bad had it not been for the dark cloud that seemed to have fallen over everyone.

Since the encounter, Link had grown distant, saying nothing and walking separate from the others. Raine was in foul mood and kept an extra close eye on both Colette and Genis, never letting either get too far from her side. Colette continuously shot worried looks over her shoulder towards Link while Lloyd seemed to be constantly lost in thought.

Like Colette, Genis kept stealing glances in Link's direction. Something that Shadow Link had said stuck in the back of his mind. He had called him the 'Hero of Time' and claimed that Link had once failed to save the world. He had gone over in his mind every history lesson he could recall but could think of no one who matched such a title. He glanced over his shoulder at Link again; how could someone so young have tried to save the world?

As they reached the plateau on which Hima was build, the sound of voices pulled him out of his thoughts. He had never been to Hima before but Raine had while on one of her ruin hunting expeditions. From what he had heard, it was barely large enough to be considered a town; just a large inn, a shop, and a couple of small houses set further back. It was mostly just a stop for travelers on the road between Luin and Izoold, known mostly for having a view of the Holy Grounds of Kharlan and now the Tower of Salvation.

"What's going on here?" Raine asked to no one in particular as they came to a stop. Several large wagons packed full of various trade goods were scattered around the Inn. Around the wagons were dozens of hastily set up tents and shelters as countless people milled about in the growing twilight. There were all kinds of people scattered about from rich nobles to simple farmers, merchants displaying their goods while a pair of Martel Priests offered prayers to those they passed.

As they stood taking in the sight, a young woman with a badly stained apron carrying a basket filled with cloth bandages came running up to them.

"Oh dear! Are you more refugees?" she asked half out of breath, trying desperately to keep her messed-up hair out of her face. "Are there any injured among you?"

"We are travelers," Raine said, giving a quick glance in Colette's direction. "We are on a pilgrimage and were stopping for the night. What has happened here?"

The woman shook her head, "It was terrible. These people were pilgrims and travelers on their way to Palmacosta. They joined a merchant caravan bound for Luin after the Desians blocked the sea routes." She looked over her shoulder, "Me and my father were among them. About a day's journey north of here we were attacked. The Desians came out of nowhere. They killed the caravan guards, and anyone who resisted or tried to run." Her head fell as her shoulders began to shake uncontrollable, "It was so frightening."

"Desians!" Lloyd cursed. "Why do they have to make everyone suffer like this?"

The woman wiped her eyes, "They said they were taking us to the human ranch and began gathering everyone up, but then that strange woman appeared."

"Strange woman?" Kratos asked.

"Yes. Several Desians suddenly died and there was a cloud of smoke and fire. She just appeared out of thin air and started attacking the Desians. Some of them ran away to the north, probably to get more men. At first I thought she must be the Chosen come to save us, but she said she was just a traveler who was passing nearby. She must be from far away though because she wore the strangest clothes and carried these funny looking paper cards."

Raine and Kratos shared a look. "Could that be the a—" Lloyd started.

"Possibly," Kratos answered, cutting him off. "What happened next?"

"There were lots of injured people," the woman said gesturing towards the inn. "It's practically full. We were too far from Luin and afraid we'd get attacked again, so the woman, Sheena I think her name was, offered to escort us back here."

"Is she still here?" Raine asked.

"I think so," the woman replied. She glanced over her shoulder again. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. The inn keeper might know where she is." With that, she turned and rushed back off towards the wagons.

"Do you really think it's her?" Raine asked as she watched the young woman run off.

"Most likely," Kratos replied flatly.

"But how could she have gotten ahead of us? And why not attack us earlier instead of running ahead?" Lloyd asked with growing anger.

Kratos slowly surveyed the crowd "Most likely she was looking for a site to ambush us again. Or, she simply passed us without realizing."

Colette clasped her hands in from of her. "If she helped save these people then she must be a good person!"

"Whatever her motivations, we must be cautious. For now, I think it best if the… if Colette keeps her identity secret," Kratos said as he started towards the Inn.

As they wove their way through the collection of people, Genis glanced around at the various items that some of the merchants had set up. Some were selling food, others clothing or household items. He paused for a moment to glance at the titles of some books that were on display by one wagon. One, a short old woman with a small hand cart, had a variety of musical instruments on display.

The inside of the Inn was as packed as the outside. As Kratos began speaking to the Innkeeper, Genis heard a door bang open upstairs followed by a pair of voices.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I saw them outside! Hurry!"

He looked up and saw someone running down the stairs. As they reached the bottom, they came to a skidding halt face-to-face with the Colette.

"You!?"

"Hey!" Lloyd exclaimed. "You're the one who atta-Owww." Lloyd winced in pain as Kratos gave his arm a hard squeeze.

"Sheena, I presume."

The assassin blinked in confusion. "H-How do you know…"

"Oh thank goodness you're ok!" Colette beamed.

Sheena's eyes went wide. "Stay back!" she took a step backwards, her eyes darting to the floor. "Don't move! Don't touch anything!"

"Are these … friends of yours Sheena?" the inn keeper asked, looking between the two in confusion.

"No!" "Yes!"

Sheena gave a Colette an angry look. "We're not friends!"

"Oh! That's right! We can't be friends until we've properly introduced. I'm Colette."

"I'm not… I mean I don't… Argh, you're so infuriating!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Colette said, looking a little hurt.

"Stop apologizing!" Sheena shouted. "Ugh, forget it, I'm leaving."

"But Miss Sheena! Your room is paid for the night!" the inn keeper called after her.

"Give it to them," she called over her shoulder before ran out the door.

* * *

The room wasn't very big, clearly not intended for six people. Raine stared out the window with her arms crossed as Genis set his bag down in the corner.

"Kratos, you said once we reached Hima…" Raine said flatly without taking her eyes off the window.

"Patience," he replied as he leaned casually against the opposite wall, his eyes focused on the door.

Raine spun to face him, her hands balled into fists. "My patience is running out! How can you be so calm with everything that's happened?" Her eyes darted around the room. "And where is he anyways?!"

Genis looked around the room and realized that Link wasn't with them. "He was right behind me when we got to the inn."

Raine turned back to the window with a heavy sigh. "Kratos, you know what I'm going to ask."

"Yes," he answered after a moment, his eyes still focused on the door. "But I still must insist against it. Sending Link away will not help the situation."

"Wait! You want to send him away?!" Lloyd sat up straight on the bed. "But Professor! He's just a kid!"

"Professor! You can't!" Colette insisted.

Raine ignored them. "When you asked that he join us, I relented. When you asked me not to pressure him for answers, I reluctantly agreed. But since we found him there have been strange monsters, a second guardian in Triet, an assassin, and now the shadow warrior in the woods. I know Link is involved in all this. There is too much at stake to ignore it any longer!"

"All the more reason to keep him close," Kratos pushed himself off the wall and strode to the middle of the room. "Link may have knowledge of what is occurring. Sending him away will only deprive us of that information, or worse, he could fall into the hands of those who would use it against the Chosen."

"That Desian in Triet said he was looking for Link!" Lloyd added. "And he was working with the ones who attacked the temple."

"Then we need to know what's going on!" Raine demanded. "The longer he remains silent the more danger we're in. If he's not going to tell us what we need to know then he should- !" She spun back to face Kratos and froze. The anger on her face drained away as her eyes widened in shock.

Genis followed her gaze to where Link stood in the open doorway. His left hand was still on the handle while his other was clutching a small round object. His eyes locked with Raine's as an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. After what felt like hours, Link dropped his eyes to the floor and backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Nice going sis!" Genis snapped and darted after him. He pulled the door open and darted into the Hallway, but Link was already gone.

"Genis! Wait!" Raine rushed into the hallway after him.

"Why would you say something like that?" Genis demanded. "After all he's done for us, why?"

"Genis…"

"He helped me and Lloyd in Isellia, and he protected Colette at the seal and the Ossa Trail. He nearly died to save her!"

"Genis, he's dangerous! You were nearly killed just be being close to him!"

"That wasn't his fault!" Genis shouted. "You once told me that keeping a secret from your friends was the hardest thing to do, but you're wrong. Sometimes telling a secret that could make your friends hate you is harder. You should know that!"

Without another word, Genis ran down the stairs and outside. He wove his way through the crowd of people, not looking back to see if Raine was following him. He had to find Link. He reached the edge of town and looked down the trail but could see no one. He gave a small sigh of relief knowing that he hadn't left. He turned back and surveyed the crowd before him, looking for any sign of his friend.

As he stood there, a soft breeze blew down from the top of the mountain. When the cool breeze washed over him he thought he heard a strange sound, like a faint whistling noise that faded away as the wind passed by. He looked around for the source when his eyes suddenly fell on the trail that let up to the peak. Another breeze swept down from above and again he heard the strange sound. Genis immediately broke into a run, tearing up the trail as fast as he could. As he climbed higher he began to make out the sound more clearly; it was music. Slowly the sound and notes became clearer, a strange sensation washed over him. He felt as if he was running through a dense forest of towering trees rather than up a mountain.

Genis slowed as he reached the top, a small flat peak that offered a sweeping view of the Tower of Salvation. Link was sitting on a short fence, swaying back and forth in time as he blew into a small round object in his hand. His eyes were closed as he faced the Tower in the distance. The strange music swept across the plateau as Navi slowly hovered over his shoulder.

The notes slowly faded away as Link glanced up at his fairy companion. "Anything?"

"No, I'm sorry," Navi replied, her wings drooping.

"It was worth a try," Link rolled the instrument back and forth between his hands. "But even with your essence, it's still just a toy."

He suddenly glanced over in Genis' direction, almost as if he knew he'd been there the whole time.

"That song, is it from your home?"

Link nodded silently and turned back to look into the distance. Genis climbed up onto the fence and sat down beside him. The sun slowly sank as the two of them sat in silence, staring out towards the tower.

"I didn't know you could play a flute."

"An ocarina," Link corrected. "My friend taught me, a long time ago it seems. But I left mine behind when I… ended up here."

"Can you play another song?"

Link sat silent for a moment then slowly brought the ocarina to his mouth. "This one's called Zelda's Lullaby."

* * *

Candle light danced off the pages as Raine stared blankly at the book before her. Genis had never really had a friend besides Lloyd and Colette, so it was no surprise that he would defend Link in such a way. He knew what it was like to be looked down on just for being different, and frankly, so did she.

She looked up as the door creaked open. Genis slipped into the room with Link following shortly behind. She looked up at where Kratos stood silently against the wall. His face showed no expression as their eyes locked, but she already knew what he would tell her. With a heavy sigh, she closed her book and slid it back into her bag.

"Link," she started without making eye contact, "about what I said earlier…"

"It's alright," Link answered. "You were right. I do know some of what's going on. I never said anything before because I wasn't sure, but now I'm almost certain that Ganondorf is here. And if what Shadow Link said is true, that he has taken an interest in the Chosen…" Link shook his head. "You need to hear the whole story."

"Who is this Ganondorf person?" Lloyd asked as Genis sat down on the bed next to him. "Is he a Desian? And what does he want with Colette?"

Kratos brought the second chair from the table over and set it down against the wall. Link sat down as Navi flew out from under his hat and landed on his shoulder. "He's not a Desian," Link said, looking at the floor. "It's kind of a long story. I'm not even sure how much of it you will believe."

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Raine suggested as she pulled one of her notebooks from her bag. It was the one she kept her notes and observations on Link in.

Link stayed silent for a while, silently tracing the marking on the back of his hand. "The place I'm from," he said finally, "is called Hyrule."

"I've never heard of a place called Hyrule," Genis replied. "Is it a town?"

"It's a land, a whole place. There's a forest, a lake, towns, mountains, even a desert."

"I've traveled this world more than once, and I have never encountered such a place," Raine replied skeptically. "I've also studied history extensively and have never heard of such a name. Where is this place?"

Link shook his head. "I… don't know."

"Why not let him tell the story, the full story?" Kratos suggested. "We can save the questions for the end."

Link nodded, and took a deep breath. "It all started when I met Navi…"

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	12. Chapter 12

Raine set her pen down beside her book and looked up at Link. "Let me get this straight. After you pulled the sword, you fell asleep for seven years?"

"Wow," Genis said with a grin, "even Lloyd can't sleep that long."

Raine glanced back over the last few pages of notes she had just taken. Link's adventure sounded like something straight out of a children's book, or one of the fantasy adventures her younger students would sometimes make up. A talking tree, going inside a giant fish, rock people; a part of her wanted to dismiss it as nothing more than elaborate cover to hide his true origins. And yet, something about how he told the story made her want to believe it.

"So what happened to the Triforce?" Kratos asked.

Link shifted uneasily in his chair. "Ganondorf got it. Or rather, he got to it."

"The Master Sword was the final seal," Navi added. "Once it was removed, the door to the Sacred Realm was opened. But Link was too young to wield it, so he was sealed away to protect him until he was old enough to wield it. But with the door now open, Ganondorf was able to enter and take the Triforce."

"Then how did Link end up with it?" Lloyd asked, sounding a little confused. "And what is so special about it that Ganondorf would try to kill so many people?"

"Well..." Navi thought a moment on how to answer. "In short, the Triforce grants wishes, or rather one wish, to whoever places their hand upon it."

"Does that mean Link can grant wishes?" Colette asked.

"The word tri means three," Raine replied as she resumed her note taking. "If you examine the mark on Link's hand, you'll notice only one of the three triangles is filled."

"That's right," Navi chimed. "There are three pieces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. If the person who touches the Triforce has an unbalanced heart and makes a selfish wish, the Triforce will shatter. The one who made the wish receives one of the three pieces; the one that most suits their desire. The other two are granted to those that best represent their power."

Raine thumbed back a page in her book. "So Link received Courage, and I'm guessing that Ganondorf got Power," Navi nodded in reply, "then who received Wisdom?"

"The princess Zelda, I would assume," Kratos answered.

Link looked up in surprise. "How did you know?!"

"Was she not the one who suspected Ganondorf's treachery?" He pointed out. "And it was also her plan to beat him to the Sacred Realm."

"Told you it was obvious," Navi taunted as she flew around Link's head. "I told you she would have it. But did you listen to me? Nooooooo."

"So what happened after you woke up?" Genis asked, trying to get back to the story.

"Let's see..."

* * *

Ganondorf stood alone in the vast chamber. The sound of wind echoed through every corner but there was no apparent source. He reached out and slid his hand across the surface of the large smooth alter that lay before him. Reaching into his pocket, he felt around for the objects he had brought.

"You're late," he spoke to the empty room. "Did you enjoy your little...reunion?"

Off to his left the shadows began to twist and bend. "_My apologies Master._"

"Leave the brat and the Chosen alone. Were those not my explicit orders? And yet you brazenly attack them both, exposing yourself and risking my plans."

"_It will not happen again,_" Shadow Link replied with a deep bow. "_I simply wished to gauge the strength of his companions; to ensure they are not a threat to your plans."_

"You are a poor liar." Ganondorf extended his hand towards the black figure. Shadow Link cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony. "I created you, and I can destroy you just as easily. Remember that, the next time you decide to disobey me." Ganondorf dropped his hand and Shadow Link fell still upon the floor. "Serve me well however, and I may yet grant you your desire."

Shadow Link painfully pushed himself up off the floor. "_Yes...Lord Ganondorf."_

Ganondorf turn and began walking away from the altar. "Exspheres," he spoke aloud and held the five small stones up before him. "Such power, such potential," he closed his fist around the orbs, "wasted in the hands of that fool. His age of lifeless beings is nothing more than a wistful dream."

He stopped in the center of the vast chamber and turned back to face the altar again. "I will show him what it means to wield the ultimate power." He opened his hand and the Exspheres rose into the air, hovering before him. "I will show him what it means to be a king." Dark energy coiled around him as he drew upon his power. Black lightning leapt from his fingers and coiled itself around the floating Exspheres before him. "And when this world is mine, I will show him what it means to know fear!" A bolt of energy erupted forth from the Exspheres and fired across the room, striking the altar. The seal groaned against the onslaught as the dark magic slid across the surface, prying at the edges. With an ear-shattering crack, the altar was forced open; he could hear the pained cry from the summon spirit as his spell did its work.

Above the altar a vortex of dark energy appeared. Ganondorf drew mana out of the ruptured seal and fed it into the portal, stretching it wider. A hissing screech came from the other side as the shape of a massive creature became visible just beyond the edge of the vortex.

Another loud crack echoed through the halls as the seal suddenly slammed shut. The dark vortex shrunk down and vanished from sight as the spell collapsed in on itself. The chamber once again fell silent save for the sound of gusting wind.

"_Looks like it failed,_" Shadow Link spoke in a slightly mocking tone.

"Failed?" Ganondorf scoffed and he reached out and grabbed the Exspheres from the air. "I have failed at nothing." He held out the now blackened Exspheres, their life and energy completely drained. "Things are going even better than I had originally planned. There is only one minor detail to work out, and I'm certain the 'Hero' of Time will be more than willing to assist me." He tightened his fist around the dead Exspheres, crushing them. "You will return to the north and ensure that things go smoothly with Kvar, and then I will have a special job for you; one I think you will enjoy."

"_And when Kvar has served his purpose?"_ Shadow Link asked eagerly.

Ganondorf held his hand up, letting the crushed Exsphere dust slowly trickle away. "Surprise me!"

* * *

Genis listened with wide-eyed wonder as Link told them all of his adventure. He had never heard of any of the places or towns, not even from Raine, and while the whole travel back in time to change things seven years later sounded more far-fetched than anything Lloyd or Colette could come up with combined, something about it seemed real. Maybe it was the way he told it, emphasising what he thought was fun or exciting and glancing over the more mundane parts. Navi of course was always there to fill in missing pieces, or point out that some of Link's victories were not quite as heroic as he claimed them to be.

Across the room Raine was taking notes down as fast as Link could speak, often asking him to slow down or explain certain elements over again. Lloyd on the other hand was enraptured by the tale. Battles against ghosts, monsters and even a dragon were more than enough to keep his attention, even through the more boring parts.

The tale was not all fun and games however. Ganondorf had had seven years to decimate the people and countryside, and Link seemed reluctant to go into much detail about it.

"He tried to collapse the tower on top of you?" Colette asked wide eyed as she sat on the edge of her seat. "How did you escape?!"

"Me and Zelda had to run down through the collapsing tower, dodging debris and fending off the last of his surviving minions," Link replied. "But it wasn't over. Ganondorf wasn't dead. He burst from the rubble and transformed into massive, sword wielding beast. We battled atop the rubble of the collapsed tower until I was finally able to deliver a crippling blow, stunning him long enough for Zelda and the sages to act. And... then..."

"And!?" Lloyd asked enthusiastically.

Link shifted uncomfortably. "He escaped."

"Huh?" Lloyd asked in confusion. "How did he escape? Why didn't you just finish him off right there?"

"I tried!" Link insisted. "I drove the Master Sword right through his forehead and he still got up. Ganondorf is a powerful warlock with incredible magic. Combined with the Triforce of Power he is all but invincible. The six sages had planned to seal him within the Sacred Realm, permanently locking him away for all time. After I wounded him, they opened the gate to the Sacred Realm and tried to draw him in, but he created a portal of his own and vanished through it."

"He opened a portal to another world? Just like that?" Raine asked sceptically. "Assuming such a thing is possible, how could someone just do this on a whim? Even a powerful practitioner of magic would require time and preparation before ever attempting such a powerful spell."

"It was not the first time he did it," Navi replied. "In the Forest Temple we saw him use a similar portal to banish Phantom Ganon; and some of his minions were creatures never before seen in Hyrule."

"But that doesn't explain how you also ended up here," Kratos pointed out.

"After Ganondorf fled, Zelda and the other Sages decided to send me back in time, back before any of this had started. But as I was going back, I remember seeing a hole—or maybe a tear—in the River of Time. When I awoke, you were standing over me in the forest." Link reclined back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "And you already know the rest. I'm sorry I never told you any of this sooner; I just didn't think it would matter. I know you may not believe me, but I want you to know the truth… and also, why I have to leave now."

"Leave!?" Genis, Colette, and Lloyd shouted together. Even Raine and Kratos shared confused glances.

"What do you mean you're leaving? Why?" Genis pressed.

"Because Ganondorf is out there, and it's my job to stop him," Link replied, though his voice carried a hint of unease. "And I'm putting you all in danger. Genis, you were attacked by Shadow Link just because we were traveling together. I don't want to do that, not to my..." Links voice trailed off.

"What makes it your responsibility?" Kratos asked.

Link looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You said it's your job to stop Ganondorf, a job given to you first by Zelda and later by the Sage Rauru. But that job ended when he left Hyrule, did it not? Your being here was merely an accident. So, why not let someone else handle it now? You can go off and find a way home or even enjoy a new life here."

Lloyd stood up and started to say something but Kratos shot him down with an angry glare. Link looked angrily up at Kratos, visibly offended at the very suggestion. "I failed to get the Triforce before Ganondorf. He used its power to kill countless people, and I wasn't there to stop him. He has to pay for what he's done." His eyes fell to the floor. "And I must make up for my mistakes."

"Come here," Kratos said, gesturing towards the window. "Look outside and tell me what you see."

Link walked to the window and looked out into the night. "The refugees?"

Kratos nodded. "Many of them lost friends and family to the Desians when they were attacked. If you had been there, could you have saved those people?"

"Possibly," Link replied as he looked through the glass.

"Then, their deaths are also your fault," Kratos pointed out.

Link spun from the window, confused at the sudden accusation, as Lloyd jumped to his feet again. "That's not fair! How can Link be responsible for people he never knew or even met before! The Desians are responsible for killing those people, not Link!"

"Why not?" Kratos insisted. "Link claims responsibility for the people killed by Ganondorf in his absence. How is this any different?"

"Besides," Raine added, "you took responsibility for the deaths in Isellia even though those people were also killed by Desians."

"That's different!" Lloyd insisted.

"How?" Kratos asked, pretending to look skeptical.

"Because the attack on Iselliea would not have happened if I had not gone to the Ranch and attacked the gaurds. I knew it was not allowed, I knew killing the Desians would cause problems, but I did it anyway. I'm not responsible because I couldn't stop it, but because I caused it!"

"Exactly," Kratos said. "You take responsibility for your actions."

"But what does that have to do with Link and the murdered refugees?" Navi asked.

"Everything," Kratos replied. "Link, you claim that Ganondorf's actions while you were asleep are your fault, but that's not true."

"But... I helped him get the Triforce, and with it—"

"That's true," Kratos agreed. "And for that you may be partly to blame. But what he did with it, what he does now, is out of your control. Failing to stop a fire does not make it your fault."

"But I'm still endangering you all by being near you!" Link insisted.

"But we are already in danger," Genis pointed out. "Lloyd is being hunted by the Desains for his Exsphere, and so is Colette just for being the Chosen. Besides, if you hadn't been with us, Colette might have died at the Seal of Fire and against the assassin."

"But..." Link started.

"Let us look at this from a more logical perspective then," Kratos stated, cutting him off. "Let's say you leave. What then? You have no leads, no idea where Ganondorf may be, and even if you were to find him, no help this time. However, If you recall what Shadow Link said after the attack, Ganondorf has taken an interest in the success of the Chosen. If that's true, then you may discover his whereabouts along the Journey of Regeneration."

Link wanted to argue back, but Kratos was right. Before he had had some help and guidance; he knew where he needed to go, what he needed to find. The road was hard and he had to find his own way through, but he always had a goal. Here he had nothing, not even Saria's vague riddles to go by.

"Kratos...has a point," Raine said slowly. "It's no secret that I was uncomfortable about having you join us, and was even ready to send you away, but..." She thumbed back through her notes again, "If, and I'm not saying it is, but if what you told us is true, then going off alone might be a bad idea. And you have risked your life for Colette, even though you had no real reason to."

Link stood silent for a moment. "I need some time," he said at last, "to think about what you said."

Kratos nodded. "Why don't you take first watch, then? Everyone else should get some sleep."

Link sat alone in the hallway, his back against the door where the others were sleeping. Navi was keeping watch at the window outside, leaving him completely alone with his thoughts. He knew Kratos was right, that his best chance of finding Ganondorf was with Colette, and yet he still felt the urge to go it alone. The remains of Castle Town, the burning of Kakariko Village, the horrors and death that Ganondorf had wrought upon all the races of Hyrule; he just could not force the images from his mind.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door knob turning. He stood up as the door quietly slid open and a head popped out.

"Colette? What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," she replied with a smile. "Can I sit with you?"

Link nodded as she slipped into the hall and pulled the door shut behind her. He sat back down against the door as she joined him.

"Are you really going to leave?" Colette asked.

"I... I don't know anymore," Link replied. "I felt so sure at first, but now... I haven't felt this way since I first left Kokiri Forest." He thought back to that day on the bridge with Saria. He knew what he had to do and what was at stake. The Great Deku Tree had entrusted him with his dying breath to seek out Zelda. And yet, it was so hard to leave. Not because it was his home, but because he knew he might never see her again; the only friend he had ever had.

"I know what it's like," Colette said pulling him out of his memories. "I never had many friends. Most people saw me only as the Chosen and treated me different. But I had Lloyd and Genis. Lloyd never called me Chosen One—to him, I was always Colette. That's why I didn't want him to come with me."

"I don't understand?"

"The Journey of Regeneration is dangerous, many Chosen have died and even those who succeed... I didn't want him to endure that. I wanted to protect him." A tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke, but despite that, she still smiled. "But now that he's here, I'm happy. I know he's in danger, and that he could be hurt, but, I'm happy that I can spend time with him again; that I can just be Colette again, even if it's only for a while. And that makes it all worthwhile."

As Link sat there in silence Colette reached over and pulled his hat off. "I know you want to leave because we are your friends and you want to protect us, even if you don't realise it yet. I understand that. But running away and hurting your friends isn't going to protect them, it's just going to make them worry about you." She smiled again as she pulled his hat down over her hair.

As he sat there looking at her big, dumb grin, he couldn't help but smile back. He reached over and straightened his hat for her. "Thanks Colette."

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	13. Chapter 13

~Chapter 13~

Link sat alone on the fence watching as the sun slowly crept over the horizon. Far below the cliffs of Hima, the sun's first rays lit the tree tops of the vast forest that stretched to the south. He recalled the times he had ventured into the Lost Woods, days spent exploring the forgotten corners of those enchanted woods, searching for the secret places that the trees kept hidden. Most of the Kokiri stayed away from those woods for fear they would get lost and become a Skull Kid. Of those who did venture in, only one had ever gone deeper then Link. He pulled the ocarina he had bought from its pouch. It was a different shape and smaller than the ones he had played before. As he rolled the small instrument between his hands, he silently wished he had the one Saria had given him so very long ago.

"Here you are." Link turned at the sound of Kratos' voice as he and the others came walking up behind him. "Have you made your decision?"

As Kratos spoke Colette came to stand next to him. She made no effort to hide the worried look upon her face as she held his hat tightly in her hands. When Colette had gone to sleep the night before, she had taken it with her. "This way you can't leave without at least saying good-bye," she had said with a smile before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

"So?" Raine pressed. "What's it going to be?"

Link hopped down from the fence. "I'm… sorry," he said with a heavy sigh. "But I have to find Ganondorf. That's all that matters right now."

Colette's shoulders dropped at Link's reply, but she said nothing as she stepped forward and handed him back his hat.

Raine nodded slowly. "If that's your decision, then so be it. Any idea where you'll go?"

Link turned his back to them and thought a moment. "Well, last time I started by going after the same thing Ganondorf was searching for. So I guess I'll start there."

Lloyd scratched his head in confusion. "Wait, but I thought Ganondorf wanted something to do with the Chosen?"

"Really?" Link turned around with a dumb look on his face. "Then I guess I need to search for a Chosen. Any idea where I can find one?"

"Alright!" Genis shouted in excitement as Colette burst into smiles and frantic clapping. "You really had us going there."

Lloyd glanced back and forth between Link and Genis. "Wait, I'm confused. Are you coming with us or not?"

Kratos let out an annoyed sigh. "We have a long ways to go yet we're wasting time here. I suggest we get moving."

"Are you sure about this?" Navi asked as she circled Link's head.

"Nope!" he replied as he pulled his hat on. "But then, I've never been sure about this; not since the first day we met."

"Fine," Navi grumbled in his ear. "But Raine has been giving me weird looks. If she tries experimenting on me, I'm out."

* * *

The door slid shut silently behind him as Yuan entered the massive chamber. Before him the Great Seed hovered softly above the transfusion machine; the abomination that had claimed the lives of countless Chosen in Mithos' vain attempt to resurrect Martel. Before the machine stood Mithos himself, his back to Yuan as he stared deep into Martel's prison.

"Why have you disturbed me?" Mithos demanded without looking back.

"I thought you should know that we located a Renagade base," Yuan lied. "We found it in the mountains near Iselia."

"You killed them?" Mithos asked looking over his shoulder.

"The base was mostly abandoned, but those that remained were destroyed," he replied. "My men are tracking the others as we speak."

Mithos made a dismissive gesture. "It matters little. Kratos has proven capable of defending the Chosen; unlike you! Once she has completed the Journey of Regeneration, Ganondorf will use his power to resurrect Martel. Our Age of Lifeless Beings can begin!"

Yuan shifted uncomfortably. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Ganondorf? I trust him about as much as I trust you," Mithos glared. "But for now he is useful. When he has served his purpose I will dispose of him like the inferior being that he is." He turned back towards the Great Seed. "Leave me."

* * *

"No way!" Link snapped.

"You have to," Navi jeered. "Those are the rules. Now choose!"

"That is so unfair," Link grumbled. "Ugh! Fine… I choose the Deku Scrub."

Navi burst out laughing so hard that she could barely keep flying.

"Okay, my turn!" Link snapped. "Who would you rather be partnered with: a Moblin or a Skull Kid?"

"Pffft. Skull Kid of course," Navi replied without hesitation. "Moblins smell terrible. Now let me think…" Navi flitted about in thought for a moment. "Hehe! Who you rather kiss; Ruto or Raine?"

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Raine shouted from up ahead. She turned back to glare at the two of them as she walked. "You two have been playing this stupid game for hours!"

"I think she's jealous that you might pick your wife over her," Navi laughed.

"She's not my wife!" Link snapped.

"Here comes the bride, breaded and fried, comes with some tartar sauce on the side," Navi sang through fits of laughter.

"She's mad—" Link interrupted "—because you keep making her one of the choices."

"Hey you're the one who chose a Deku Scrub," Navi giggled. "I guess we should find another game. Hmm… I spy something… silver."

"Can I ask you something?" Genis butted in, sensing that the mood was about to turn violent. "If what Shadow Link said is true, and Ganondorf wants Colette to succeed, why would he summon a powerful monster at the Seal of Fire?"

"Finally an intelligent question," Raine grumbled.

Link shrugged his shoulders. "What's there to understand? Ganondorf is evil. He tried to conquer and destroy Hyrule, and probably wants to do the same here."

"But that's just it," Genis remarked. "Why destroy the land you are trying to conquer? And why conquer it in the first place?"

"I- I don't know…" Link admitted. In truth he had never given it much though before. Ganondorf was evil, and it was his job to stop him. The question of why never really seemed important.

"Maybe Shadow Link lied and he really is trying to kill Colette," Lloyd pointed out. "He could be working with the Desians to destroy the world."

"Perhaps…" Raine said, her mood having reversed. "It's also possible that the events at the Seal of Fire are unrelated. If you consider that Link was brought here by accident, it stands to reason that others could have as well."

"If Ganondorf had wanted to kill the Chosen, I suspect we would have met far more resistance then we have," Kratos pointed out. "Perhaps you should ask why he would want her to succeed."

Link thought a moment. "If Colette succeeds, the world's mana is restored, correct? But if she fails then…"

"The world will run out of mana and die," Genis finished as a sudden wave of realization washed over him. "Of course! He needs Colette to regenerate to world and seal away the Desians first."

Navi's spun in frustration. "Ugh, why didn't I see it before. It makes sense when you think about it."

Lloyd scratched the back of his head in frustration. "I still don't follow."

"If the journey of Regeneration is not complete, the world will run out of mana," Raine pointed out. "Even if Ganondorf is immune to the decay, eventually there would be nothing left but an empty world."

"Remember that this is all conjecture," Raine reminded them. "And we have no way of discerning his true motives at this time."

"And it's not like we could just abandon the Journey of Regeneration," Genis spoke as he glanced ahead towards Colette.

"So once again, we have to do all the hard work—" Navi griped "—and Ganondorf will wait to claim the reward. I feel like a puppet dancing on his strings."

"Maybe," Link shook his head in annoyance. "But look on the bright side; at least we know who the puppet master is."

* * *

"Again!"

Lloyd picked his sword up from the ground and slowly rose to his feet. Kratos stood with his arms crossed and his eyes focused intently on Lloyd. Link stood on the other side of the sparring field, his hand on his knee and still panting from their last bout. Lloyd forced himself upright and raised his blades into a defensive position.

"Is that enough for today?" Genis asked from where he sat watching. "It's seven wins to zero."

"Again!" Kratos repeated.

Link straightened himself and adjusted the straps on his shield. He slowly began striding to the right, giving his sword a quick spin with his wrist as Lloyd began to circle to opposite direction.

"Wait." Kratos stepped forward. "Let's change this up. Chosen, I want you to help Lloyd."

"What!?" Lloyd demanded in surprise as Colette came walking over.

"What can I do?" Colette asked with a big smile.

"I want you to fight with Lloyd in a two-on-one," Kratos said bluntly. "The rules are the same for you however, Link, you can only win by disabling the Chosen."

"I'll do my best!" Colette replied eagerly. "Lloyd. It'll be just like old times, when we would fight the monsters in the forest together."

"You can't be serious!" Lloyd demanded of Kratos. "She could get hurt, or..."

Kratos stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "I thought you wanted to protect the Chosen." He turned and walked to the edge of the sparring field to stand by Genis. "Link. It's two on one, so no holding back."

"Are you sure?" Link asked in hesitation. Kratos nodded his approval.

Link nodded back then took a deep breath and slowly let it out. His eyes slid shut as he lifted his left hand in front of his face and clenched his fist. A faint hum filled the air as the golden mark on the back of his hand lit up.

Without warning Link drew his blade and lunged towards him. Lloyd surged ahead and clashed with the small boy, the ring of steel echoed around him as their blades locked. Link dove to the side to try and roll around him. Lloyd spun the opposite direction to counter but his blade found only air as Link feigned the attack and went straight for Colette. Colette fanned her wings and leapt back just in time to avoid Link's attack. She spun in the air and hurled her chakram, but Link blocked the attack with his shield. As Lloyd lunged forward, forcing Link onto the defensive, Colette snagged her weapons from the air. She flew forward, arms outstretched in a blinding ring whirlwind. Link back flipped to avoid the attack but Lloyd refused to give up and lunged forward with a sonic thrust. At the last second Link twisted, deflecting the strike off his shield and bringing his sword around in a massive spin attack. The shockwave threw Lloyd back and he felt himself hit the ground. He looked up and saw Link attack Colette as she flew backwards, deflecting his attacks with her twin blades.

"I thought you wanted to protect the Chosen?" Kratos' voice taunted in his head. "You're a burden! Children should stay home!"

"But how do I beat him?" he shouted back into his own mind. "How do I become stronger?"

"You can never be stronger then Link," Kratos' voice echoed again. "So stop trying to be, and become stronger than yourself."

"Stronger than myself?" Lloyd asked. "How?"

Another voice seemed to echo from inside him a voice he had never heard before, and yet sounded so familiar. "Protect those closest to you." A warm sensation rose from deep within him, he felt the pain and weariness leave him. His eyes snapped open. He saw Colette and Link frozen in combat, saw Kratos and Genis watching from the sidelines. Time itself seemed frozen as the comforting presence washed over him. "Why do you wish to become stronger?" the voice demanded. "To kill the Desians? To defeat Link?"

"No!" Lloyd answered, his gaze fixed on his childhood friend. "I want to protect Colette! Protect those closest to me and avenge all those who died because of me!"

"Then take my power." The voice faded away in his mind. Like a rush, time snapped back to normal. Lloyd leapt to his feet, firing a demon fang at the combatants. A flicker of movement caught Lloyd's eyes as he saw Navi dart to the side, alerting Link of the attack in time for him to jump out of the way. As Lloyd closed in on Link he couldn't help but wonder; why had he not noticed Navi before? He knew they fought as a pair but until now, he had never seen or heard her. Now, as she chimed her warning to his attack, it felt as if he should have always been aware of her. As Link turned to face him, Lloyd felt the power inside him surge. As Link brought his sword around Lloyd leapt into the air in a whirling tempest. He felt his blades skid across Link's shield as he dropped into a turtle defense. The instant he touched the ground Lloyd spun on his heel, placing himself between Link and Colette. Link turned and lunged at Lloyd, bringing his sword down in a powerful strike. It was in this moment that he saw it: the opening. He felt the power inside him surge and he threw himself forward. A massive shockwave, like the head of a terrifying beast, exploded forth with a massive roar knocking Link from the air, and sending him clear across the sparring field. As Link hit the ground and rolled to a stop, Link's sword fell and impaled itself in the ground.

Lloyd had won.

"Link! Are you okay?!" Genis dashed across the field to where Link was slowly getting to his feet.

"I've had worse," Link groaned as he sat up. "But that is going near the top of my list."

"Lloyd, that was amazing!" Genis continued as he helped Link to his feet. "For a moment there I thought you would lose again, but then you suddenly just... whoosh." Genis jumped in excitement. "And then ... Hey! Check out your Exsphere!"

Lloyd glanced down at his Exsphere and found the small stone was glowing with a soft white light. As he slowly began tracing his finger across the smooth surface, the voice echoed in his mind once again. "Protect those closest to you."

"So you've finally started to use your Exsphere," Kratos remarked as the light began fading from the stone. "To be honest, I never thought this plan would work."

"Plan?" Lloyd asked angrily. "You mean your plan to put Colette in danger? What if she had been hurt?"

"She wasn't in any real danger." Lloyd jumped as Raine stepped out from behind a tree, her staff in hand. "I had a barrier on her the whole time, just in case."

"So this was your idea, Professor?" Lloyd demanded.

"No. It was mine." Colette stepped forward, a worried look on her face. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, Lloyd, but I wanted to help. I thought that if you had to protect me, like when we were back home... I'm sorry."

Lloyd stood dumbfounded for a moment. "You came up with this all on your own?"

Colette nodded. "Mr. Kratos helped me with some of it, but it was mostly my idea. I'm sorry."

Lloyd shook his head he stepped up to her. "Stop apologizing all the time," he lightly thumped his knuckles against her forehead, "you dork."

"You're right!" She smiled back. "I'm sorry!"

* * *

"You really don't need to do this Sis," Genis pleaded. "Really I can handle it."

"Nonsense!" Raine replied dismissively. "You've been cooking almost every night since we joined up. You deserve a break for once."

"Relax, Genis," Link said as he reclined against a tree near the camp fire. "You make it sound like her cooking is a bad thing."

"It's not always bad." Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Sometimes it's terrible. Genis, you remember that time she made curry with the... OW!" Lloyd flinched as the soup ladle bounced off his head.

"So I take a few creative liberties," Raine snapped indignantly. "Great discoveries are made through trial and error. Besides, I'm following one of Genis' recipes tonight."

"Really?" Genis asked hopefully.

Raine hesitated a moment. "I may have added a few things to spruce it up—" Lloyd hung his head with a loud groan "—but I'm sure it'll taste just fine."

"Well I for one am looking forward to trying your cooking," Link admitted. "Her ideas sound... unique."

"You'll only say that once," Kratos remarked as Raine filled a heaping plate.

"Thank you Link. Would you like to try it first?" Raine handed the plate to Link. He immediately shoveled a heaping spoonful into his mouth.

"How is it?" Genis asked cautiously.

Link's chewing slowed, he got a wide-eyed look on his face as he finally swallowed. "It's... It's... AWESOME!"

Lloyd's jaw when slack as Link began eating as fast as he could. Raine beamed from ear to ear as she started handing out plates. Genis took the plate from his sister and quickly tried a mouthful.

"Umm, Sis?" Genis asked as he tried desperately to choke it down. "Did you put oregano in this?"

"That's right!" Raine said happily. "Among other things."

"I don't know what oregano is, but can I have seconds?" Link asked, extending the empty bowl.

Genis glanced at the rest of the group in concern. Lloyd was beginning to look a little green as Colette slipped her plate under a bush and emptied its contents out of sight. Even Kratos had set his plate aside. "You really like it, Link?" Genis asked carefully.

"It's really good!" he replied earnestly. "No offense, Genis, but I always found your food a little bland. Raine, you should really cook more often!"

"Don't take it personally," Navi chimed in Genis' ear. "Link has no sense of taste. If you knew what those potions he drinks are made from, you'd understand."

"So what's in this anyways?" Link asked. As Raine began listing off the ingredients, Lloyd started turning greener and Genis suddenly wondered which recipe she had been 'improving' on.

"I don't know what half of those things are," Link said as he finished his second helping. "But you'll have to show me how you make this sometime."

"I'd be happy to!" Raine smiled as she finally tried her own creation. Her smile quickly vanished. "Ahem, maybe it still needs a little work."

Link shrugged. "If you say so. Can I have thirds?"

* * *

"We're here," Kratos spoke as the town came into sight. "Luin, the northernmost town in Sylvarant."

"There is a Church of Martel here as I recall," Raine mused as she glanced over her maps. "Yes, there's also a House of Salvation just east of here as well. We should be able to restock our supplies as well as get some information on any nearby ruins or holy sites."

"We're not here to dig up ancient ruins, Raine," Genis groaned as his sister continued talking to herself.

"Why not?" Link asked. "The last Seal we found was in a ruined city."

"That is an excellent observation Link," Raine said with a smile.

"And besides," Link continued as he deliberately adjusted his shield. "They are great places to find treasure."

Raines smile turned to a scowl as she peered over the top of her maps. "Don't push your luck."

As they neared the town, Link saw that Luin was actually build on several small islands near the shore of a lake. The crisscrossing bridges reminded him of Lake Hylia. "If there is a temple here, or rather a seal, I'll bet it's under water."

Raines head snapped up. "Under water?!"

"There's always a water temple," Link pointed out. "I had to go through two... Well, one was a giant fish, but it was pretty much the same thing."

"This isn't Hyrule," Lloyd pointed out.

"Actually, I think Link may be right," Genis replied. "Water is one of the elements of magic just like fire. It's quite possible there is a seal of water."

"So you were really able to walk around under water?" Lloyd asked. Link nodded in reply. "Wow! That would be so cool! To be able to walk across the bottom of a lake, or even the ocean!"

"Yes, it sounds... fascinating." Raine said uneasily as they reached the bridge leading into town.

"Admit it Lloyd, you'd get bored before you made it half way across." Genis laughed.

"Shut it Genis!"

The first island they came upon was mostly open. A fountain set against a rock face bubbled away as a group of children huddled around a person sitting next to the water. As the group got closer Navi suddenly burst out from under Link's hat. "Watch out!"

"Okay okay, I'll be it this time," came a familiar voice. The children cheered as they all scattered in different directions.

"You!" Link cried out as his hand wrapped around his sword hilt.

"You?!" Sheena shouted in surprise as she dropped into a combat stance. "This time for sure I'll—"

"There are a lot of people here." Kratos said flatly as he pulled Link's hand away from his blade.

Sheena glanced around. While no one had taken any notice of them yet, a fight would surely draw attention. She straightened up and relaxed her pose, shifting her weight casually to one foot. "You're lucky this time."

"So, what are you doing here?" Lloyd asked.

"You know why I'm here!" She replied. "I'm... I mean... Ugh, forget it. I got to go find the kids." She turned and started walking away.

"I guess you're really a nice person after all," Lloyd said with a smile.

Sheena missed a step. "What are you saying? Don't think that saying something like that will change anything. You're still my enemies." She hesitated a moment. "I'll be staying here for a few days, so I suggest you get a head start." She turned again and ran off into the town.

"I still think we should have killed her," Navi chimed as she floated above Link's head.

Kratos sighed. "We may have to eventually, but now's not the time. The Chosen and I will see if we can find any information; the rest of you can get what supplies we need. We'll meet outside the inn."

"I'll come with you," Raine insisted. "I have more knowledge about the Journey and history that may come in handy."

"Fine," Kratos grunted, "but this isn't a research trip. I want to be away from here as soon as possible." He turned and started off towards the church.

"Are we not staying for the night?" Colette asked hopefully as she walked beside him.

"My job is to protect you Chosen One," he replied. "It would be safer if we kept moving, however, this is your Journey and I will respect your wishes."

Colette remained silent for a while. As they came up to the doors of the church she paused. "If she were to attack us here, people could get hurt..."

"It's possible," Raine said from behind, "and we could not protect everyone."

"I understand," she said quietly.

Kratos pushed the door open and strode into the church. It was not a large building, just a simple place for people to come and pray or ask for a blessing. As they entered a young man in a robe greeted them with a bow.

"Welcome," he said warmly. "Are you here to make a donation?"

Raine pulled her map from her bag. "Actually, we are on a pilgrimage and were wondering if there are any holy sites nearby."

The young man bowed again. "I'm sorry but I'm not the pastor here, I'm simply a caretaker while they are away. They were both called away most unexpectedly to deliver a statue of Spritua the House of Salvation near Palmacosta."

"Do you know when they are due back?" Kratos pressed.

"Not for another day or two," the caretaker answered. "You may wish to wait for them, or make for the House of Salvation to the southeast. Either would be more suited to guide you on your pilgrimage."

"What about ancient ruins?" Raine asked. "Anything of note in the area? Perhaps something we could go see while we await their return."

The man thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, the Tower of Mana is not far from here. But it's said to be dangerous and overrun with monsters."

"Oh course! Why didn't I think of that before!" Raine pulled another book from her bag and began thumbing through the pages. "It was built to allow people to see the Tower of Salvation and offer their prayers to Martel."

"That sounds like—" Colette started.

"Where can we find this tower?" Kratso asked, cutting Colette off.

"Just north of here," the man said tapping the spot on the map. "But if it really is filled with monsters..."

"Thank you for your assistance," Raine replied as she turned and started to leave. She suddenly stopped and turned back to the caretaker. "When exactly were the Pastors were called away?"

The man thought a moment. "About a week ago I think. May Martel watch over you."

"Is something wrong Raine?" Kratos asked as they stepped outside.

Raine lowered her voice. "About a week ago the Desians sealed off the sea routes and attacked a caravan from the south west and that assassin appeared. And now the people who may know the location of the next seal are conveniently called away."

"You think they are connected?" Kratos asked.

"It's hard to say for sure," Raine said as she stared off at nothing, "but I can't help but feel like something, someone, has been pushing us here."

"All the more reason not to stay here then," Kratos insisted. "We should make for the Tower of Mana as quickly as we can."

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